Mehbooba Slams J&K Admin for Hampering ‘Fatiha Khawani’ at Mufti’s Grave

Mehbooba said that the J&K police are hounding her party workers who dared to offer Fatiha at late Mufti’s grave today.

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SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), president, Mehbooba Mufti lashed out at the authorities calling them “cowards” after the authorities tried to thwart a congregation at her father’s graveyard in Bijbehara township of Anantnag (Islamabad) district.

Scores of PDP workers and leaders today gathered outside the Dara Shikoh garden where late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed is buried. The party workers led by Mehbooba had gathered to offer Fatiha and pay tribute to Sayeed on his sixth death anniversary.

A senior party leader said that PDP workers were stopped from visiting the grave by the police. “It was raining and many left without offering the prayers in dismay.”

“Our party workers were stopped outside the gate by police and were not allowed to recite Fatiha at Mufti’s grave. Now even reciting Fatiha at the dead person’s grave has been criminalised here,’ said Tahir Sayeed, one of the JKPDP Spokespersons.

However, after a protest by Mehbooba and PDP workers, they were later allowed to offer Fatiha and hold the congregation.

Before Mehbooba and her party workers were allowed inside the park, she raised slogans in demanding the end of the bloodshed. She raised slogans like “Jis Kashmir ko khoon se seencha! Woh Kashmir hamara hai!” (The Kashmir that has been drenched in our blood! It belongs to us, the Kashmiris)

“They are afraid of our party and they are afraid of lady despite being such a big country. Today was my father’s death anniversary and they are trying to stop us. They are so faint-hearted,” Mehbooba said. 

“Today was the anniversary of my father and they did not allow us to offer tribute and prayers at his grave. What can be more cowardice than this,” she asked.

Meanwhile, she expressed gratitude to the people who paid tribute and sent prayers to the late leader. 

Taking to her Twitter handle Mufti criticised the authorities and J&K police for criminalising the simple act of paying tribute to one’s leader. “Meanwhile the J&K police are hounding my party workers who dared to offer Fatiha at his grave today,” tweeted Mufti.

“Outlawing and criminalising even a simple act of paying respect and tribute to one’s leader shows the state administration’s deep paranoia and intolerance,” she added. 

Meanwhile, People’s Conference, chairman, Sajjad Lone, in a statement, while paying tributes to late Mufti, said: “It was a sheer pleasure working with Mufti sahib. Down to earth, simple, and a great practitioner of statecraft. He indulged me. I was quite often at the receiving end of his gentle rebukes. Of course, all with the intentions of sharing his hard-earned learning curves.”