The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehboob Mufti vacated her Gupkar residence on Monday and shifted to a private house.

PDP spokesperson, Najam-us-Saqib while talking to the news agency KNO said Mehbooba Mufti has vacated her Gupkar residence today and has shifted to a private residence in Khimber locality.

Jammu and Kashmir administration had asked Mehbooba Mufti to vacate her official residence on the high-profile Gupkar road in Srinagar and had stated it was willing to provide an alternative accommodation.

The Estates Department of Kashmir had sent a notice to the PDP chief on October 15, asking her to vacate the official residence which is now known as “Fair View Guest House”.

SRINAGAR — Former chief minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, Mehboob Mufti vacated her Gupkar residence on Monday and shifted to a private house.

PDP spokesperson, Najam-us-Saqib while talking to the news agency KNO said Mehbooba Mufti has vacated her Gupkar residence today and has shifted to a private residence in Khimber locality.

Jammu and Kashmir administration had asked Mehbooba Mufti to vacate her official residence on the high-profile Gupkar road in Srinagar and had stated it was willing to provide an alternative accommodation.

The Estates Department of Kashmir had sent a notice to the PDP chief on October 15, asking her to vacate the official residence which is now known as “Fair View Guest House”.

SRINAGAR — The Jammu & Kashmir Government has asked former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti to vacate her Fairview residence on Gupkar road.

Sources told the news agency KNO that the Estates Department has served an eviction notice to Mehbooba Mufti to vacate the Fairview residence in which her family lives since 2005 when her father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed was Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir.

“The former CMs are no longer entitled to official accommodation after the Government of India amended a state law in 2020,” sources in the Jammu & Kashmir Government disclosed.

Mehbooba Mufti confirmed to KNO that she has been asked to vacate the accommodation.

Sources in the government also disclosed that an alternate accommodation has been offered to Mehbooba Mufti in lieu of Fairview residence.

The Fairview residence of Muftis was formerly an infamous torture center, known as PAPA-2. Till 1989, it served as an official guest house. The building was occupied by the Border Security Forces in 1990 who named it PAPA-2.

It continued to function as an interrogation and torture center till 1996. In 1996, Ashok Jaitley, former Chief Secretary of the State moved in and used it as his residence. In 2003 it was renovated and served as the residence of the then Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig.

SRINAGAR — The kinds of decrees issued from Delhi after August 5, 2019, are a pointer to the fact that our land, employment, resources and all other things are being put on sale, said People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday.

On the sideline of a function at her Gupkar residence, Mufti, as per news agency Kashmir Dot Com, hinted that the outsiders have been holding sway on the lands, jobs and resources here and said, "the Centre would wipe out our existence if we would not act together, resist and condemn such things."

Replying to a reporter’s query regarding the jailing of youth, the PDP chief said that she had apprised Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha about the matter during a recent meeting and told him that the situation in Kashmir would not change if such things are not stopped immediately.

While pointing out the restrictions being put on her movement, she said that they (regional parties) now need to find a space in the prevailing atmosphere to defeat the Centre’s sinister designs. “The Centre is afraid of political activities and they have left no stone unturned to defame us,” she said.

"The situation which has been created by BJP in Kashmir has forced the youth to join militancy," she said, adding that the bloodshed and repression in Kashmir seem to be used by BJP to secure votes in other states but such policy would not yield anything.

Regarding the remarks made over Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by BJP’s National Spokesperson Nupur Sharma, Mehbooba Mufti said that the judiciary should take a suo moto action against such acts.

SRINAGAR — Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Saturday decided to meet Lieutenant Governor Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha to raise the demands of Kashmiri Pandits with regard to their safety and security in the Valley.

Talking to the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the spokesman of the conglomerate, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, said that a group of Kashmiri Pandits met the constituents of PAGD including Dr Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Tarigami and Muzaffar Ahmad Shah today at the Gupkar residence of National Conference (NC) president.

"The Kashmiri Pandits discussed the security-related concerns with the conglomerate and even appraised them of leaving Kashmir," he said, adding that the PAGD members however told the delegation that Kashmir belongs to them also and leaving the home place is not a solution.

“There are genuine demands of Kashmiri Pandits as they feel unsafe even in the offices now,” he said.

Moreover, the PAGD spokesman said that the conglomerate has decided to meet Lieutenant Governor in this regard and has also requested an appointment so that the matter with regard to a secure environment for the Kashmiri Pandits will be discussed with him.

“There are tall claims from the government about normalcy in Kashmir, however, the situation on the ground is quite contrary,” he said.

SRINAGAR — CPI (M) senior leader and former Kulgam legislator, Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami on Monday said that the Panchayati Raj system is not new in Jammu and Kashmir, but it existed even before the partition here and that the government must not push the people towards the wall.

Addressing a press conference at his Gupkar residence, Tarigami, as per the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that the Prime Minister has made an appeasing statement for the youth, but questioned why several youths were put behind the bars ahead of the visit.

“The Prime Minister has made tall claims to appease the youth, but it won’t serve the cause as there is a need to change the ground situation. What matters for the youth is to provide them employment, ensure a free atmosphere for them and give them security,” he said.

“I want to inform the government that the anger is increasing and don't push them to the wall. Also, don’t consider silence as normalcy,” Tarigami said.

He added that the government is beating the drums with regard to the Panchayat Raj system here, but the fact is that it is nothing new in J&K as such a system was already existing in the Union territory even before the partition.

Tarigami further added that the government at present is claiming the new Kashmir, but the fact remains that this all existed in 1944, which is the outcome of the people's movement.

He added that the implementation of GST was a big blow to the federal structure of India. “The government has claimed that the States will get their share under GST, but nothing has been given to the States so far,” he said.

Tarigami further said that the situation has changed on the ground as the Governors at present have become parallel centres in States, especially the places where Opposition governments exist.

He further stated that the Prime Minister in a meeting of J&K leaders said ‘Doori Door Karni Hai’, but unfortunately, nothing happened on the ground.

About the present power scenario, Tarigami said that the government should intervene and that 50 per cent of electricity being generated from J&K should be given to the consumers here so that the people could heave a sigh of relief.

“At present 45 per cent of electricity supplied to different states is being generated from J&K and the government should intervene to provide at least 50 per cent to the consumers here,” he said.