Terrorists came, carried out big terror attack, some mistake somewhere: Iltija Mufti
Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, on Tuesday said that for terrorists to be able to carry out the Pahalgam assault in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in a place where tourists come in large numbers indicates that a mistake has happened, and it should be investigated.
In an interview with IANS, Iltija also praised her mother as "extremely peace-loving" and criticised the media for portraying her as "anti-India or non-secular."
Along with the Pahalgam terror attack, she also talked about the situation at the borders, Pakistani citizens being sent back, the Waqf (Amendment) Act, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, etc.
The following are the excerpts from the interview:
IANS: 26 innocent people were killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. What do you have to say?
Iltija Mufti: This was a dastardly attack, and we condemn it. There is no place for violence. We condemn terrorism. All of us saw how our guests -- the tourists -- were killed. Two young women, who were recently married, lost their husbands; we are saddened by it. Before being Kashmiris, Muslims, or Indians, we are human beings first, and such acts -- such as targeted killings -- break our hearts.
IANS: Who is to blame for this terror attack? Do you think Pakistan was behind it?
Iltija Mufti: For the last six years, since Article 370 was abrogated and the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was taken away, the entire law and order situation here -- including the security agencies, Intelligence agencies, police -- all come under the Ministry of Home Affairs. So, it is very difficult for me to speak on this matter, as they are not under my domain, nor are they under the domain of the J&K government.
These are questions that the central government sitting in Delhi will have to answer. I don't think this is the right time to start pointing fingers and saying mistakes were made here or there. There must be time given for a proper investigation into how this happened.
Places like Baisaran and Pahalgam see a large number of tourists every day, yet that day, terrorists came and carried out such a big attack. This certainly needs to be investigated. I don't have the authority to say who is to blame. There was some mistake somewhere -- that's why such a serious incident happened. Only after a full investigation can anything be said.
IANS: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti went to Pahalgam and interacted with the locals. How do you see that?
Iltija Mufti: I think the image the media -- mostly the 'godi' media -- has created of Mehbooba ji, portraying her as anti-India or non-secular, is completely wrong. If you truly look at Mehbooba ji, you'll see she is extremely peace-loving.
It was very important for her to go to Pahalgam at this time -- not just for the local people, but also to show our tourists that we have always welcomed them and will continue to do so. You must have seen the visuals -- she went there, tourists were present, and photos were taken with them. We are very thankful that the tourists continue to show their trust in us.
Some media channels are portraying that tourists are not welcome in Jammu and Kashmir -- that is not true. Our doors, the doors of our hearts, and the doors of our state are always open for our tourists. We welcome them with love and hospitality -- and we will continue to do so.
IANS: Following this attack, Pakistani citizens are being sent back. How do you see this?
Iltija Mufti: Many people have been living here (in India) for the past 20–30 years. A Pakistani woman whose son was martyred while serving in the CRPF is also living here. When her son was martyred, Home Minister Amit Shah himself visited her. There are many such cases where people have been affected. If we look at this through the lens of humanity, it is clear that injustices are occurring.
That said, the government is taking steps it feels are necessary. However, in my personal opinion, we should also act with some humanity.
IANS: A CRPF personnel was dismissed after it was revealed that he is married to a Pakistani woman. What do you have to say about this?
Iltija Mufti: I am not very familiar with this case. If the police are withholding information, it is not my responsibility. I saw an interview with the soldier, in which he said he had informed the CRPF and security agencies. This is a personal matter concerning a CRPF soldier. An investigation is ongoing, so I cannot say much.
IANS: Do you think war is an option?
Iltija Mufti: Whenever there is talk of war, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are caught in between, as we are a border state. We are the ones who suffer; we are the collateral damage. However, some things are not in our control. If the government feels it needs to act in retaliation to maintain law and order and ensure India's security, that is within its domain. I cannot comment on that.
I feel that war is never the answer. When PM Modi visited Russia, he said, "The era of war is over." I believe it's time to remember that.
IANS: Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi has questioned the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces and said people are waiting for the "so-called 56-inch chest to act." How do you see this?
Iltija Mufti: Such baseless, provocative, and instigating remarks are not right -- especially at a time when so many of our people have been martyred. Not much time has passed since the attack. I believe our politicians should exercise sensitivity when issuing statements. Why must we engage in cheap rhetoric at a time like this?
IANS: You and your mother had highlighted that Kashmiris were being harassed across India following the Pahalgam terror attack. What is your take on it?
Iltija Mufti: As a Kashmiri, I am very disappointed. People are suspecting every Kashmiri across India. Even in Delhi, our students and businessmen are being targeted. PM Modi needs to talk to Kashmiris -- he has left them on their own. Since 2019, the humiliation we have faced and the way Muslims are being treated breaks my heart.
PM Modi is not just the Prime Minister of Hindus -- he is also the Prime Minister of Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, and every citizen of India. He must rise to our expectations and protect us. But what has happened in Kashmir over the last six years is extremely disappointing.
IANS: What is your take on the Waqf (Amendment) Act?
Iltija Mufti: I feel that just like the people of Kashmir and the country were misled when Article 370 was repealed -- it was claimed this was being done for the development and progress of the people of Jammu and Kashmir -- that was a false narrative, full of propaganda.
Similarly, look at the time that has passed since the Waqf (Amendment) Act was passed. It is sub judice, but even so, many madrasas and dargahs are being demolished. This Act is meant to disempower Muslims. People want to gather votes by demolishing mosques, so what can we say?
They are indulging in short-term politics and may gain short-term benefits, but in the long term, it is an attack on the soul of our country. This is Gandhiji's country. For me, the Waqf Act is a direct attack on Muslims. It is an anti-Muslim Act. You want to snatch whatever little freedom and religious autonomy Muslims still have.
IANS: What is your take on J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's meeting with PM Modi and his Assembly speech?
Iltija Mufti: I feel that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have lost so much after 2019. We need to fight for a larger cause. The narrative of statehood that is being run by the NC -- which is currently the government here -- is the BJP's narrative. The NC didn't speak about the Waqf Act in the Assembly, nor did the BJP MLAs.
The NC demands statehood; BJP MLAs also demand statehood. If the NC is only going to echo the BJP's line, then what is the point of people electing 50 MLAs? If you're (NC) just going to follow the BJP's narrative, then you're betraying the people of J&K.
IANS: An Over Ground Worker (OGW), who had helped the Pahalgam terrorists, jumped into the river after he was taken to identify a terrorist hideout. How do you see this?
Iltija Mufti: Whoever was involved in the terror attack must be punished. Justice should be served to the families who lost loved ones. But here, anyone labelled as an OGW or accused based on a narrative often comes directly from the security agencies -- and it is not always verified. We have seen this ourselves.
I won't say all police officers are wrong, but whether it's the Army or police, fake encounters have happened here -- like in Bandipore, Kupwara, and even Rajouri-Poonch two years ago. So, the narrative you're being told is not always the truth.
In Pulwama last week, 10–15 houses were demolished, and only one of them belonged to a suspected militant. The rest belonged to innocent civilians. I am thankful to Mehbooba Mufti, who spoke to the Home Minister and informed him that the houses being demolished were not just of militants, but also of common people -- and that this is wrong. After that, Delhi stopped the demolitions. The government cannot term everyone as a militant or OGW.
You first say that after 2019, the people of J&K were integrated. Integration is not just about geography or borders, it is also emotional and psychological integration. That integration must happen too. If you look at everyone here with suspicion and hatred, as extremists or OGWs, then how will the distance between Kashmir and Delhi ever be bridged?
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The Wire
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Are Election Malpractices Undermining India's Claims of Being ‘the World's Biggest Democracy'?
For the best experience, open on your mobile browser or Download our App. Next Support independent journalism. Donate Now Politics Santosh Mehrotra and Jagdeep Chhokar 8 minutes ago Several methods have emerged in which the will of the people can be dishonoured. Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute Now In recent years, the election process in India has been converted into one party's fiefdom. Two sets of methods have been weaponised to subvert the verdict of the people, which are adopted at each stage of the electoral voting system. They are used before voting day, or on the voting day, and after the voting day. We discuss each in turn. Before voting day There are at least three methods used to unfairly impact election results before voting day. First, through electoral rolls or voter lists, which see a selective deletion of voter names from a list. 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Women are also disproportionately affected: the political scientists Prannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala calculated in their book released in 2023 that, on average, approximately 40,000 female voters are missing from the electoral rolls in every constituency in India, a number often higher than the winning margin in many Lower House electoral contests. A National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam had declared 1.9 million people potentially stateless, and while Hindus in the list have been promised their paperwork through a new Citizenship Amendment Act, Muslims are left to face detention, and potentially even deportation. Members of the ruling party have promised to expand the NRC across India, sending some Muslims in big cities running to gather their documents lest they need to prove their citizenship to the government. A 2018 study published in the Economic and Political Weekly found that in the May state elections in Karnataka that year, an estimated 1.2 million Muslims were not able to vote – a number that suggested Muslims were disproportionately missing from the electoral rolls. The study was conducted by comparing single-voter households in the state with record population data. The root cause behind the voter registration manipulation is Rule 18 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which allows for deletion of voter data without notice or an opportunity to be heard by the affected citizen. At the EC's assurance, the Supreme Court also disposed of a PIL which challenged the constitutional validity of Rule 18. This has clearly contributed to what many allege are large-scale deletion or addition of votes just before the elections in Maharashtra. It is not difficult to see why Muslims, Christians, Dalits and Adivasis would be the main targets for this electoral roll purge. For the 2019 Lok Sabha election, India had nearly 900 million registered voters and there have been reports of mass deletion of names from voters' lists from Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Delhi. The ECI has denied this. The outcome of such disenfranchisement of minorities is already visible: The 18th Lok Sabha (2024) has the lowest share of Muslim MPs in six decades. Less than 5% of its members currently are Muslims despite people from the community forming over 15% of the country's population. In fact, the decline in the share of the Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha, in the 1990s, coincided with the rise of the BJP, whose total MP tally crossed the 100 mark for the first time in the 10th Lok Sabha (1991-96). Across India's 28 states, Muslims hold roughly 6% of the seats in state legislatures, which is less than half of their national population percentage. The representation of Christians is no better. The second method is to pay voters cash – bribery on a large scale. Small sums have now increased. The ruling party's hold of funds accumulated through the electoral bonds scheme was enormous. The SC judgment came five years too late, when the money had already been collected, and when the judgment did come, it did not require forfeiture of funds collected over the five years that the scheme was in operation. The ECI says it seized nearly half a billion dollars of cash. As cited by NPR, the last available survey, conducted years ago by Association of Democratic Reforms, suggested it plays a role for nearly 40% of voters. The higher capacity to pay is with the biggest political party, of course. A third method has recently emerged: to insert travelling voters of one party from other states (with duplicate identity cards) to polling booths in a state where elections are taking place, by duplicating Electronic Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers across states. This method was used, allegedly in Maharashtra and Delhi, to general acceptance. In Bengal, there was political upheaval over this. The ECI's response was: 'In this regard, it is clarified that while EPIC numbers of some of the electors may be identical, the other details, including demographic details, Assembly Constituency, and polling booth, are different for the electors with the same EPIC number.' The matter has rested there. These methods supplement a long-standing method that has been to physically prevent anti-government voters from coming out to vote – using state police force. The Ramgarh case in Uttar Pradesh is a classic and prevented the popular leader of the Samajwadi Party, Azam Khan, from being elected. After voting day (but before counting day) We now turn to the king of the insidious deeds being committed in cahoots with the ECI. But before we do that it is important to establish how the appointments of ECI members have been 'used' by the ruling government. Originally, the three members were to be selected from a list finalised by three people: the prime minister, the leader of the opposition, and the Chief Justice of India (CJI). That rule was changed by the ruling dispensation. In doing so, the government ignored a November 2023 judgement of the Supreme Court and passed a law in contravention of the court's conclusions by removing the CJI from the appointments committee, and replacing it with a cabinet member nominated by the Union government. This tilted the balance irreversibly in favour of the political executive of the day. The importance of this development will be seen below. To understand how this second set of methods has been used to subvert the electoral verdict of the people, it is important to explain the EVM system. To make the EVM system auditable and voter-verifiable, the Supreme Court had, in 2013, ordered introduction of Voter-Verified-Paper Audit Trail (or VVPATs). 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A study by the Vote for Democracy after the Lok Sabha elections 2024, concluded that 79 seats were won by the now ruling party, largely, on the basis of this method. It happened in the Lok Sabha elections to the extent of 55 million votes – that turned the election in constituencies that were marginal (i.e. where the margin of victory in the last election was small). Another study by the Association of Democratic Rights came to a similar conclusion about the total number of votes first announced by ECI, and then later enhanced before counting day. That essentially implies that voter names loaded onto EVM are of voters that did not vote and after polls closed – with ECI officers in collusion. This is what Congress's Rahul Gandhi has alleged for Maharashtra, that there were 6.5 million new voters added between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm. There are stunning increases (7 to 12%) between the figures of votes polled and made available immediately after polls and before counting in the 2024 Lok Sabha. The same meticulous game appear to have been played in the elections to the state assemblies of Haryana and Maharashtra in 2024, where there was little likelihood of the sitting government being re-elected back to power – so great was the anti-incumbency. In addition, the ECI has played yet another game. At the end of polling on election day the ECI is required to provide 17-C forms – which can enable a candidate (or anyone) to verify the actual votes polled. This is to be provided to all candidates and their agents and also made public, but the ECI has not done so of late, except in a minority of cases. Is the EVM reliable? 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Santosh Mehrotra was professor of Economics at JNU. Jagdeep Chhokhar was an IIM professor and is the founder of the Association of Democratic Rights. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Politics 'Prove it': Rahul Gandhi Doubles Down on Rigging Allegations After ECI's Unsigned Rebuttal View More
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