Muslims in India face unprecedented threats: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar (The Uttam Hindu): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and president of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday alleged that the largest minority (Muslims) were facing "unprecedented threats" in the country.

She said this while marking the Constitution Day.

Mehbooba Mufti said in her statement on X, “Today, as we celebrate Constitution Day, it is disheartening to see the largest minority in our country facing unprecedented threats. Their dignity, lives, livelihoods, and places of worship are under attack, contradicting the Constitution's guarantee of equal rights and dignity for every citizen, regardless of their background."

She cited the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district to make her point. “The recent violence in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, where four innocent lives were lost is a painful reminder of this harsh reality. This trend of searching for temples under mosques continues despite a clear Supreme Court ruling that the status quo on all religious places, as they existed in 1947, should be maintained."

“The erosion of constitutional values and the rule of law is extremely concerning and unless we who believe in the idea of India rise up to defend these values, our nation risks losing its unique identity and becoming indistinguishable from its neighbors,” she said.

Mufti’s PDP won just three seats in the Legislative Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Before that, she lost the contest for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She was trounced by Gujjar leader and National Conference (NC) candidate Mian Altaf Ahmad by nearly three lakh votes in the Anatnag-Rajouri seat.

Her father, the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed came to power after the 2014 elections when he forged a ruling coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

After his death, Mehbooba Mufti continued the coalition with the BJP till the latter withdrew from the coalition on June 19, 2018, forcing her to step down as the chief minister.

The then governor, Satya Pal Malik dissolved the Assembly on November 21, 2018.

On August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated by Parliament and the state was divided into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh.