Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti should apologise instead of claiming that the video of her remarks at Jantar Mantar was “AI-generated”, saying the comments appeared to justify the misuse of power in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Omar, said the remarks sought to justify arrests, denial of justice and other harsh measures in the name of militancy.
“How does the presence of militancy justify denying justice to people, stopping passports or weakening the rule of law? I fail to understand this logic,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that after the remarks triggered public criticism, the PDP attempted to dismiss the video as AI-generated through one of its legislators.
“Media organisations from across the country were present at Jantar Mantar. Multiple videos were recorded and microphones of various media outlets were visible. Calling it AI is an insult to people’s intelligence,” he said.
Omar said Mehbooba should have addressed a press conference and apologised if the remarks had been made in the heat of the moment.
“Everyone makes mistakes. She could simply have said she spoke emotionally and apologised. Instead, they rubbed salt into the wounds by claiming the video was fake,” he said.
The Chief Minister also accused the PDP president of never expressing regret over her party’s alliance with the BJP in 2015, the handling of the 2016 unrest and other controversial decisions.
“You never apologised for the BJP alliance or what happened in 2016. Now, instead of accepting what was said at Jantar Mantar, you are calling it AI,” he said.
Referring to the demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, Omar said such statements could discourage people from participating in democratic protests.
“If tomorrow we protest for statehood, people may hesitate to come out because such statements send a message that suppressing protests is acceptable. That is a matter of serious concern,” he said.
Commenting on the recent resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Omar said the decision had come late and that no political party should claim credit for it.
“The credit belongs entirely to the students who remained steadfast in their protest. They did not give up despite the difficulties,” he said.
The Chief Minister also said that large-scale detentions alone could not end militancy and warned that such measures risk alienating the public.
“If 3,000 people are detained, nearly 15,000 family members are affected. Such measures may produce short-term results, but lasting peace cannot be achieved without winning the trust and support of the people,” he added—(KNO)