Srinagar

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday accused the Jammu and Kashmir Police of preventing its workers from holding a peaceful march in Srinagar to protest against alleged attacks on Kashmiris in other parts of the country.

Party president Mehbooba Mufti said Kashmiris were being “confined within Jammu and Kashmir and assaulted outside it,” reacting strongly to the police action.

PDP workers gathered at the party headquarters near Sher-e-Kashmir Park and staged a demonstration highlighting incidents of violence against Kashmiris outside the Union Territory. When the protesters attempted to march towards the main road, police personnel allegedly stopped them and locked the gates of the party office from the outside, party leaders claimed.

PDP’s Srinagar district president Abdul Qayoom Bhat said the party was denied its democratic right to protest. “Those who attack Kashmiris outside the region are roaming free, while people protesting peacefully against such incidents are being stopped,” he told reporters.

Bhat said many Kashmiris, including students and workers, travel outside the Valley for education and employment but face harassment and violence. “Why are Kashmiris being assaulted, and why is there silence from the central government and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah?” he asked, demanding immediate steps to stop such attacks.

After being prevented from marching, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

Later, Mehbooba Mufti criticised the police action, saying it reflected a disturbing reality for Kashmiris. “When a young Kashmiri shawl seller is nearly beaten to death in Uttarakhand, there is no one to protect him. But when PDP workers try to protest peacefully against such incidents, the entire police machinery is mobilised to suppress them,” she said.

In a post on X, Mufti questioned whether Kashmiris were even allowed to live with dignity. “When survival itself is treated as a crime, where are Kashmiris supposed to go in so-called New India?” she wrote.

There was no immediate response from the Jammu and Kashmir Police to the PDP’s allegations.