Iltija Mufti Rises as the Next-Gen Voice of the PDP

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti, daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, has been steadily making her presence felt in the region’s political landscape, despite not holding any formal position in the party. In recent years, she has consistently voiced her views on key public issues, especially after the abrogation of Article 370, emerging as the party’s next-generation voice in a changing political environment.
On Tuesday, Iltija condemned the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, calling it a tragic moment for all Kashmiris and appealed to political leaders to avoid blame games. She said this was not the time for finger-pointing and stressed the need for a proper investigation into the incident. She also raised concerns about the plight of Pakistani women married to Kashmiris, many of whom have been living in the Valley for decades and are now facing an uncertain future due to the Centre’s new visa restrictions.

Talking to IANS, the daughter of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also targeted Congress MP and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for making provocative statements about terror attacks and the Indian government’s response to them now and in the past.

Iltija Mufti said, “Security in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 is under the Central government. But I don’t think it is the right time to indulge in finger-pointing over alleged lapses. They must be given time to investigate properly as to how this terror strike took place.”

She said the terror strike at a place like Baisaran Valley, visited by thousands of tourists, certainly needs an investigation to find out how the militants managed to reach that spot.

“Obviously, there has been a failure which led to such a big tragedy. There must be a full investigation into it,” she said.

She criticised Channi for issuing “baseless” and “provocative” remarks on surgical strikes.


“Politicians should observe restraint in such times. I don’t know why they indulge in such rhetoric at a time when we have lost so many lives,” she said.

Amid the talk of a possible Indian military response against Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Channi had ignited a major political storm by casting doubts on the 2019 surgical strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces across the Pakistan border in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

"No one saw where the surgical strike happened and how many were killed, or where in Pakistan it occurred. Nothing had happened. I have always demanded proof," Channi had said, questioning the widely publicised military operation that followed the killing of 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama.


The remarks triggered immediate backlash from BJP leaders, who accused Channi and the Congress of undermining the armed forces and demoralising the nation.

Backing tough diplomatic measures, Iltija Mufti seeks relief for Pak women living in Kashmir for decades

“There are women who have been married to Kashmiris and settled in the Valley for the past 30-40 years. How can they be expected to return?” said Iltija Mufti.


Advocating a humanitarian approach towards some categories of Pakistan passport, she said, “I feel some people from Pakistan who have come and have been living for the past 30-40 years have inadvertently got clubbed with others who were intended to be sent back.”

One such woman had been living for the past 50 years, her son died while serving in an Indian security force, and Home Minister Amit Shah also went to her home to pay tribute to him, she said.

Iltija Mufti backed the tough diplomatic measures taken by the Indian government, as the federal government considers them important, but said, “At the same time, looking at things from a humanitarian angle will indicate that they have not been treated fairly.”

Taking strong measures after the Pahalgam attack, the Indian government banned Pakistani nationals from travelling to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas. Any SVES visas issued in the past to Pakistani nationals were also deemed cancelled. All Pakistani nationals present in the country under an SVES visa were told to leave India.- IANS with inputs from TWL Bureau