Srinagar, Sep 18 (KNO): Political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday alleged they were put under house arrest and barred from attending the condolence meet of former Hurriyat chairman Prof Abdul Gani Bhat in Sopore. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also criticised the move as “not good for J&K".
CM Abdullah, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), called it unnecessary and damaging for the region. “What should have happened if Mehbooba Mufti or Sajad Lone had been allowed to visit Sopore? Nothing adverse could have happened. They would have offered condolences and returned. Are the security agencies so frightened that they won’t even allow people to share grief? This is not good for Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
Several political leaders, including People's Democratic Party's president Mehbooba Mufti, People's Conference's chief Sajad Gani Lone and others earlier claimed that they were confined to their homes and barred from visiting Sopore after the death of Prof Bhat.
Lone, taking to X, said he was put under house arrest to stop him from visiting Botingoo, Prof Bhat’s ancestral village. "I have been put under house arrest in order to prevent me from visiting Botingoo, the ancestral village of Professor Ghani sahib. I fail to understand what is the need for this. Professor sahib was a pacifist and literally long retired. A final good bye is something which we all deserved", Lone posted.
Mufti too expressed anguish, saying she was locked inside her home. In a post on X, Mehbooba said the decision to place political leaders under house arrest to prevent them from visiting Sopore “lays bare the harsh and undemocratic reality in Jammu and Kashmir". She said what unfolded at Hazratbal Dargah was “a loud, unmistakable message from a people pushed to the edge” and alleged that the BJP remained “willfully blind” to the anguish and suppressed emotions of Kashmiris.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that the BJP has no interest in peace or healing in Kashmir. Instead, they seem determined to keep the region in a constant state of turmoil, weaponising pain and unrest for political mileage across the rest of the country. This cynical approach is not just irresponsible; it is dangerous and utterly reprehensible," she wrote.
Earlier, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq paid tributes and shared his condolences, describing Bhat as a seasoned voice who contributed to Kashmir’s political and social landscape.
"It is extremely unfortunate that when Prof Bhat’s final journey came, he, his colleagues and the thousands who wished to attend his funeral, offer condolences to the bereaved family and share in the collective grief were denied this basic right. Being locked inside their homes, prevented from paying their last respects, was a cruelty that has only deepened the sorrow of his passing," the Mirwaiz Manzil said in a statement.
Prof Bhat passed away on Wednesday evening after a brief illness. He was laid to rest late evening, with leaders across the spectrum paying tributes to his "pacifist approach" and "decades-long contribution" to public life—(KNO)