Former Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti Friday asked government to allow people of Jammu and Kashmir to express themselves freely.
“If you claim everything is fine and normal then you are you scared of us. You don’t allow us to protest, and silence us using police and troopers,” Mehbooba Mufti said while addressing her party workers in Jammu.
She said it is not good to choke the voice of the people and push them to the wall. “People are the ultimate source of power and you can’t silence them using brute force. How can you make decisions against the wishes of the people? It seems democracy is there only on paper now,” Ms. Mehbooba said and thanked party workers in Jammu for their unflinching support.
She also talked about the abrogation of Article 370 and the implementation of new land laws. She said that those who will support these diktats will repent tomorrow. “It is high time we wake up from slumber and fight for our rights that have been snatched,” she said.
“In Kashmir this government is scared of every protest and detain those who raise their voice against implementation of unjust and unconstitutional laws,” she said
She said PDP members were detained during a peaceful protest against new land laws in the territory after they refused to sign a dictatorial affidavit that termed dissent as anti-India. “In which democracy is the right to peacefully protest an anti-national activity?” she asked.