Pained to see 'rising hatred' against Kashmiris after Pahalgam attack, says Iltija Mufti

New Delhi, May6 (IANS) Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP President Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the brewing ‘dislike and hatred’ against the Kashmiri locals in wake of Pahalgam terror attack and urged the Centre to take steps for addressing this divide. She also labelled the Waqf Act as a divisive legislation, brought by Modi government to treat the Muslim community as ‘second-class citizen’.

PDP leader Iltija Mufti, in an interview with IANS stated, “As a Kashmiri, I am very disappointed with the way we are looked at with suspicion. Even in Delhi, Kashmiri businessmen and students are being harassed.”

She also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bridge the divide between Delhi and Srinagar by facilitating dialogue with the common residents of Kashmir and making them a part of the decision-making process.

Invoking PM Modi's prior statement on reducing “Dil ki doori and Dilli ki doori,” and said, “If you really want to reduce that distance from Delhi, then you will have to talk to the people here. You have completely stopped talking to the people of Kashmir.”

Speaking about the state of Muslims after the abrogation of Article 370, Iltija remarked, “After the humiliation we faced in 2019 and the way Muslims are being treated, it does break our hearts. Somewhere, he is not just the Prime Minister of Hindus, he is the Prime Minister of every citizen of India, either be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian.”

Raising concern over the recent developments including Waqf amendments, she also accused the government of promoting an anti-Muslim narrative through legislative means.

“Look at how many madrasas and dargahs have been demolished since the Waqf Bill was passed. It is a bill that is meant to disempower Muslims. You see your vote beneath the mosque, you can only see your vote after demolishing it,” she claimed.

She described it as a short-term political tactic for political gains but in the long run, it is bound to hurt the soul of the nation.

“This is Gandhi ji’s country. This is an anti-Muslim bill. You are practicing short-term politics for short-term gain, but it is seen as an attack on the long-term soul of our country,” she said.

--IANS

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