Srinagar, Jan 09 : People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, has launched a sharp critique against the Central Government and the Jammu & Kashmir administration led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The criticism follows the recent de-recognition of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Sciences (SMVDIMS). Mufti characterized the decision as a politically motivated tactic and a dangerous precedent that could be replicated against minorities across India.
Addressing a press conference, Mufti according to the news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) linked the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) action to the broader issue of Jammu & Kashmir’s statehood. “The atmosphere being created, especially in Jammu, and the rumours circulating regarding statehood are all negated by this decision,” she stated. “It reinforces a pattern every experiment first conducted on Jammu and Kashmir is later implemented across the country.”
Directing her remarks toward Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Mufti, as per KNS, expressed “immense regret” over his reported comments. “A day before the order was issued, Omar Abdullah hinted that the Centre might close down the college. The very next day, the de-recognition order came. Was this a prior understanding?” she questioned.
While acknowledging that the affected students, who qualified through NEET, would likely be accommodated elsewhere, Mufti emphasized the larger implications. “The question is why such tactics are being repeated. When education is politicized in the name of religion, and the youth of Jammu and Kashmir find no place even in their own territory, how can they feel secure in Haryana, Punjab, or other states?” she asked.
The PDP leader alleged that the decision was influenced by “fringe, communal forces” in Jammu affiliated with the BJP, RSS, and Bajrang Dal, which had recently protested against the institution. “By succumbing to such pressures, we are encouraging a mindset that will employ similar tactics elsewhere under the notion that ‘these are Muslims, these are the children of Kashmir; push them out.’ This is a wrong decision,” she asserted.
She called upon Chief Minister Abdullah to have opposed the Centre’s move. “He should have stopped such a step. This decision has essentially evicted Kashmiri Muslim students,” she said.
Invoking the adage “to cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face,” Mufti warned that the move would ultimately backfire. She expressed concern that the confidence gained by “communal forces” from this incident could lead to its replication in other parts of India. “A specific atmosphere is being created in Jammu to divide people along religious lines,” she alleged.
Expanding her critique, Mufti stated that the normalization of aggressive central interventions—from ED raids to the revocation of Article 370—has been passively accepted by national political parties. “Only Mamata Banerjee is fighting; she is a champion who can stand up to the BJP. The rest have chosen silence, even enjoying the torment of Jammu and Kashmir,” she claimed.
Mehbooba reiterating her concern for thousands of students from Jammu and Kashmir studying across India, suggesting they could now face similar targeting. “When our own people are evicted from their own homes, what else can one expect?” she further added. (KNS)
