J&K leaders Mufti, Aga, Engineer Rashid demand action against people targeting Kashmiris in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh
Detained Lok Sabha member from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Engineer Rashid, who is currently in Tihar jail, has also written a letter to the chief ministers of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, demanding immediate and stringent sanctions against those involved in attacks and humiliations on Kashmiri shawl vendors in their respective states.
“The attack on a Kashmiri shawl vendor from my constituency was painful and deeply disturbing. Whether being a Kashmiri has become a crime in the country,” Rashid asked. He reminded the Uttarakhand government that Kashmiris have a proud record of treating tourists and foreigners with honor and dignity, and questioned why similar values were not promoted elsewhere.
Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party spokesperson Inam Un Nabi reported that the Lok Sabha member warned in his letters that “selective silence and weak responses embolden hoodlums and normalize lawlessness.” He also expressed concern over television visuals showing Kashmiri shawl vendors being attacked and humiliated by marginal elements in HP. In the letter, copies of which were also sent to the Union Home Minister, Rashid said, “Imagine if any civilian, any non-Kashmiri, committed an act similar to touring the Valley… they would be booked under draconian laws and branded as radicals.”
Ruling National Conference Lok Sabha member from Srinagar constituency, Agha Ruhullah Mehdi, also condemned the targeting of Kashmiris in Uttarakhand and stated that such actions violate constitutional freedoms and human dignity.
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The incident came to light after a video was shared on the internet. The Kashmiri vendor was reportedly seen being attacked by a group of five men who abused and beat him for refusing to chant the “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” slogan. Mahdi said that “national loyalty cannot be achieved through intimidation and cannot replace accountability, governance and the rule of law.” “We urge the government of Uttarakhand to take stringent legal action against those responsible and ensure the safety and rights of Kashmiri traders across the state,” he said.
Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and president of the People’s Democratic Party, urged the Uttarakhand Police chief to file a case to hold the perpetrators accountable. Mufti said in
