The detention of political leaders who were supporting the students’ protest is justified as they want “turmoil,” not “peace and development,” National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah said.
Farooq Abdullah defended the house arrest of several political leaders, including his own party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, stating that the government would not allow those seeking “turmoil” to disrupt Jammu and Kashmir’s progress.
Authorities placed the leaders under house arrest to foil a planned student-led protest in Srinagar over the rationalisation of the existing reservation policy.
MP Ruhullah Mehdi, along with PDP leaders Waheed Para and Iltija Mufti, were among those placed under house arrest after they announced support for the students’ agitation.
Speaking from Pahalgam, Abdullah backed the administration’s pre-emptive measures to prevent the protest and detain political leaders, alleging that they were attempting to create “turmoil.”
He said the leaders were “not happy” with the region’s development and intended to create instability. Abdullah emphasised that the government is focused on progress and would not allow “turmoil” to derail its efforts.
Abdullah’s remarks highlighted a growing divide within the National Conference. Earlier, party spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq criticised the detentions as “unjustified” and a violation of democratic rights. PDP leaders also criticised the detentions, saying that even peaceful protests are not being allowed. “This pushes our youth to the wall, and one day, like a pressure cooker, it will explode and everyone will get hurt,” a PDP leader said.
Students and political leaders were protesting the delay in revising job quotas, under which only 40% of government jobs are allocated to the Open Merit category, despite it constituting nearly 70% of the population.
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