Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said that Kashmir has become an "open air prison" after alleging that media persons were barred by the authorities from entering her residence in Srinagar ahead of the forthcoming District Development Council (DDC) polls.
She vehemently criticised the "arbitrary detention" and accused the J&K administration of using "fear and intimidation in tandem to muffle any form of opposition".
"Press has been barred from entering my residence in Srinagar. This despite no written orders explaining my arbitrary detention. Kashmir is an open air prison where no one has the right to express their opinion," Mehbooba Mufti tweeted from her official handle on Twitter.
She added, "We are one day away from DDC polling & its evident that the admin here is using fear & intimidation in tandem to muffle any form of opposition."
Earlier, the PDP leader said that she will hold a press conference at 3:30 PM today.
"Im going to hold a press conference at 3:00 pm today and will brief the press on various issues. Request media to kindly come," she had said.
Mehbooba Mufti said that she had been "illegally detained yet again" and alleged that her daughter Iltija has been placed under house arrest.
Mufti was released on October 14 after being in detention from August 5 last year following the abrogation of the special status of the erstwhile state.
"Ive been illegally detained yet again. Since two days, J&K admin has refused to allow me to visit @parawahid`s family in Pulwama. BJP Ministers & their puppets are allowed to move around in every corner of Kashmir but security is a problem only in my case," Mufti said in a tweet.
"Their cruelty knows no bounds. Waheed was arrested on baseless charges & I am not allowed to even console his family. Even my daughter Iltija has been placed under house arrest because she also wanted to visit Waheed's family," she added.
Waheed is the youth wing president of PDP's Jammu and Kashmir unit.
PDP leader Waheed Parra was remanded to 15 days of National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody on Friday following his arrest earlier this week for allegedly conspiring with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists to get their support during the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Parra was taken to Jammu and produced before a designated NIA court in a case related to his alleged "close links" with Irfan Shafi Mir, who was arrested along with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Naveed Babu and suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh earlier this year, officials said.
Mehbooba Mufti had earlier slammed the Central government over the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which conferred special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, and said she will only raise the tricolour when the "flag of Jammu and Kashmir" is brought back.
(With agency inputs)
