Mehbooba Mufti questions legality of crackdown on separatists

Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said that the "arbitrary" move to arrest Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir leaders will only "precipitate matters" in the state. Mehbooba Mufti also questioned the legality of the arrests. The government had launched a crackdown on separatists and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), a politico-religious organisation. JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and over two dozen Jamaat leaders, including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, were detained on Friday.

"In the past 24 hours, Hurriyat leaders & workers of Jamaat organisation have been arrested. Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters in J&K," Mehbooba tweeted. "Under what legal grounds are their arrests justified? You can imprison a person but not his ideas," she said.

In the past 24 hours, Hurriyat leaders & workers of Jamaat organisation have been arrested. Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters in J&K. Under what legal grounds are their arrests justified? You can imprison a person but not his ideas.

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 23, 2019

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Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered deployment of 100 companies of paramilitary forces in the Kashmir Valley on an urgent basis. In a letter dated February 22, the government ordered deployment of forces with 'immediate effect' in addition to the number of forces already stationed in the state. The letter was addressed to the Jammu and Kashmir home secretary, the state Chief Secretary and the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

"We have to urgently deploy CAPFs in Jammu & Kashmir. It is requested to provide 100 coys of CAPFs (CRPF – 45, BSF-35, SSB-10 & ITBP 10) to Govt of J&K with immediate effect and till further orders,” read a Ministry of Home Affairs letter to the state government, copies of which have been also sent to IG (Ops) to CRPF, BSF, ITBP and SSB. 

"IG (ops), CRPF is requested to ensure immediate movement of forces in coordination with IG (ops) of all forces,” it further reads.