Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti on Thursday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to investigate what she described as the alleged misuse of the names of central investigative agencies for political intimidation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Iltija alleged that the Peoples Conference leadership had been threatening PDP leader and former MLC Yasir Reshi by repeatedly invoking the names of central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and the National Investigation Agency. She claimed that PC leaders had been telling Reshi that they enjoyed the backing of these agencies and were using the Union Home Minister’s name to instil fear among PDP workers and leaders.
“I request Union Home Minister Amit Shah to look into the matter because your name is being used to threaten and intimidate our leaders. If this is not happening with your knowledge, action should be taken against those misusing your name,” she said.
Iltija alleged such tactics were not new and had become common since the constitutional changes of August 2019, claiming PC leaders had earlier pressured several PDP figures to quit the party through similar means. She cited the case of PDP leader Khursheed Alam, alleging he had been forced out of the party under pressure before subsequently returning. She also alleged that the Peoples Conference did not want any political leadership to emerge from north Kashmir, referencing the imprisonment of Er Rashid in this context.
Referring to an audio recording she claimed involved a senior Peoples Conference leader, Iltija alleged calls had been made to Yasir Reshi claiming that officials of the NIA, CBI and ED were present in Srinagar and that the PC leadership had direct access to them. She further alleged that such intimidation politics extended beyond political opponents to journalists and industrialists as well.
Describing the alleged conduct as “gutter level politics,” Iltija said political parties ought to compete through dialogue and the ballot box rather than through threats. “If you cannot defeat your opponents through the ballot, you resort to threats. We will not remain silent if such intimidation continues,” she warned, adding that the PDP would resist any attempt to pressure its leaders through the alleged misuse of central agency names. The remarks are likely to trigger a political reaction from the Peoples Conference in the coming days.
