The chief of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, announced on Thursday, September 18, 2025, that she was placed under house arrest. This action, she stated, was to stop her from visiting Sopore to offer condolences for the passing of Abdul Gani Bhat, the former chairman of the Hurriyat Conference.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ms. Mufti sharply criticized the move: “The decision to place the political leadership under house arrest today, simply to stop us from visiting Sopore to offer condolences on the demise of Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, lays bare the harsh and undemocratic reality in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Professor Bhat had passed away on Wednesday evening at his residence in Sopore following a prolonged illness.
Ms. Mufti also referenced a recent contentious incident at the Hazratbal Shrine, describing the public outcry as an “unmistakable message.”
“What unfolded at Hazratbal Dargah, the eruption of spontaneous, raw public anger, was not just an isolated incident. It was a loud, unmistakable message from a people pushed to the edge. The BJP, however, remains willfully blind to this truth, refusing to learn anything from the deep anguish and suppressed emotions that have been building for years now,” she asserted.
The controversy in Kashmir began on September 5 after an Ashoka emblem plaque was vandalized at the Hazratbal shrine. Most political parties condemned the act, accusing Waqf Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi of offending religious sentiments by placing a national emblem within the mosque and demanded her removal and legal action.
The former Chief Minister further suggested that it is “increasingly clear” the BJP government shows “no interest” in fostering peace or healing in Kashmir.
She added, “Instead, they seem determined to keep the region in a constant state of turmoil weaponising pain and unrest for political mileage across the rest of the country. This cynical approach is not just irresponsible; it is dangerous and utterly reprehensible.”
Concurrently, Sajad Lone, chief of the Peoples’ Conference and MLA Handwara, also reported that he was barred from traveling to Sopore.
Lone stated, “I have been put under house arrest in order to prevent me from visiting Botingoo, the ancestral village of Professor Ghani sahib. I fail to understand what is the need for this. Professor sahib was a pacifist and literally long retired. A final good bye is something which we all deserved.”
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the current chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, similarly claimed he was placed under house arrest late on Wednesday, September 17.
“It pains me beyond words that the authorities compelled the family of Prof. Sb to conclude his ‘janazah’ hurriedly. I have been locked inside my home, and being denied the right to walk with him in his final journey,” Mirwaiz expressed on X.
The separatist leader emphasized his profound 35-year bond of friendship and mentorship with Bhat.
“So many others, too, longed to pay their last respects. To be deprived of even the solace of participating in his ‘janazah’ and bid him a final goodbye is an unbearable cruelty,” he lamented.