Anantnag, Sept 12: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday criticized the government after reports emerged that National Conference (NC) leader and sitting MP from Central Kashmir, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, was denied permission to hold a meeting in Anantnag.
Mehbooba, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), called the denial “unfortunate” and said it reflected “double standards and political hypocrisy.” She pointed out that Mehdi, a member of the ruling party and an elected parliamentarian, had reportedly been invited by the Citizen Council to address a gathering at the Town Hall in Anantnag, but was refused clearance by the authorities.
“It is indeed unfortunate that Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a sitting MP from Central Kashmir and a member of the ruling party invited by Citizen Council, was reportedly denied permission by his own government to hold a meeting at the Town Hall in Anantnag,” she wrote.
The PDP chief further noted that the development comes at a time when NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah have expressed concern over the arrest of former MLA Mehraj Malik. “Such restrictions on their own party MP raise serious questions. It exposes a disturbing level of double standards and political hypocrisy,” she added.
