PDP Leaders Detained During Protest in Srinagar

Srinagar, July 1 — In a stern reaction to a peaceful protest, the police on Tuesday detained multiple Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders who were marching against the alleged shortcomings of the National Conference-led administration in Jammu and Kashmir. The protest aimed to highlight perceived governance failures, such as unfulfilled electoral promises.

Activists and leaders of the PDP, gathering at their headquarters close to Sher-e-Kashmir Park, organized the march with the intention of reaching the city's central Lal Chowk. The police, however, intervened, demanding that the protesters disperse. When the demonstrators did not comply, several were taken into custody, as confirmed by officials.

Among those detained were PDP general secretaries Abdul Haq Khan and Mohammad Khurshid Alam, alongside senior figures Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura and Syed Basharat Bukhari, not to mention various members of the party's women's wing.

Before his detention, Hanjura criticized the police's actions, condemning what he referred to as "governmental dictatorship." He described the protest's intentions — drawing attention to the scarcity of drinking water, rising electricity prices, and the demand for the return of detained youth from prisons outside the region. "This is the dictatorship of the LG administration and the Omar Abdullah government that forbids even peaceful protest," Hanjura remarked.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti voiced her concerns, emphasizing the evident disparity in governmental responses. She accused the administration of using forceful measures predominantly to suppress PDP protests and its members. "If only the same urgency was applied to combat the water crisis, escalating power costs, the daunting 17.4% unemployment rate, and other unresolved issues like political incarceration," Mufti lamented. She further noted the persistence of silenced protests, referring to the outcry following Article 370's unconditional annulment and other human rights concerns, criticizing that even governance-related grievances are now met with punitive action.

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