Srinagar: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday condemned the killing of a police officer in Anantnag, but criticised the authorities over the detention of “more than 1,000 people” and the demolition of the homes of two alleged militants, calling the measures “collective punishment”.
In a statement, Mufti described the killing of the police officer in the line of duty as a “heinous and condemnable act”. However, she said that detaining over a thousand people and demolishing the houses of the families of two alleged militants “amounts to collective punishment that has no place in a democracy”.
Referring to the Government of India’s (GoI) repeated claims that militancy in Jammu and Kashmir has been reduced to near zero, the former chief minister urged the GoI to adopt a “more humane and lawful approach” towards civilians.
“If the Government of India itself maintains that militancy has been reduced to near zero, it must adopt a more humane and lawful approach towards innocent civilians instead of resorting to tit for tat for an entire community,” she said.
