PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has requested Prime Minister Modi to intervene in the matter of the arrests of three Kashmiri students in Agra for celebrating the win of the Pakistan cricket team against India in the T20 world cup. She wrote a letter to the PM yesterday to express concern over the latest developments in Jammu and Kashmir, and defended Kashmiri students supporting the Pakistan cricket team saying that sense of patriotism can’t be forced on people.
PDP President @MehboobaMufti writes to PM Modi regarding the arrests of three Kashmiri students in Agra for allegedly celebrating Pakistan’s win over India in #T20WorldCup match. “I request you to intervene so that future of these youngsters is not destroyed,” she says
— NDTV (@ndtv) October 30, 2021
(ANI) pic.twitter.com/epWqFmtSh1
The letter addressed to the Prime Minister said, “I write to you with a deep sense of disappointment & concern about the alarming situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Not too long ago when you presided over an all party meeting in Delhi you expressed your intention to remove “dill ki doori” between Delhi and J&K…”
The letter then read, “..We had been waiting for the roll out of a policy to address the hearts and minds of people especially youth. While the spree of raids, arrests, killings continue unabated the level of repression and state intolerance has touched a new low…”
PDP Mehbooba Mufti said that home minister Amit Shah had talked about engaging with the youth during his recent J&K visit, but what happened instead was shocking and worrying, referring to the arrest of several people for supporting Pakistan in the cricket match. Defending that act of supporting the cricket team of the enemy nation, Mehbooba Mufti said, “…A friendly cricket match between India & Pakistan that was solely a source of entertainment for people here bruised by incessant lockdowns, internet gag and restriction of movement led to booking youngsters under the draconian UAPA for simply choosing to cheer the winning side…”
She said that brightest young people doing professional courses like MBBS were targeted and slapped with anti-terror laws. She then went on to say, “Patriotism and sense of loyalty has to be cultivated with compassion and can’t be forced by wielding the baton or by the barrel of a gun”. She also added, “Such punitive actions laced with contempt will only further the sense of mistrust and alienation between the younger generation and the rest of the country,” virtually threatening that youths will join the separatist terror groups if they are not allowed to support Pakistan in sports.
Mehbooba Mufti then requested PM Modi to intervene in the matter so that the future of the young bright minds is not destroyed, “I fervently request you to intervene so that the future of these young bright minds is not destroyed”
Notably, Students in Kashmir’s Srinagar colleges were booked under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for celebrating Pakistan’s victory against India in the T20 World Cup match. Two separate cases were registered for two separate incidents that occurred at the hostel of SKIMS hospital in Soura and hostel in Government Medical College (GMC) in Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
Also, Uttar Pradesh Police booked 7 more people in 5 districts for raising pro-Pakistan slogans after India lost to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup match. According to reports, sedition charges were invoked against them and three were arrested in Agra on allegations of raising pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans.
Apart from that, Kashmiri students in Sangrur, Punjab at the Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology were thrashed by students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for cheering for Pakistan during the India Pakistan match.
