Mehbooba Mufti said on November 2 that the Kashmir issue will not be resolved by jailing people under the UAPA. She asked the Centre to stop experimenting with Jammu and Kashmir. She said, "The baton policy will not work." She urged the government to start talks to heal wounds.
The Government of India experimented a lot to enforce peace in Kashmir; the baton policy will not work...This year, the protesters in Delhi tasted what Kashmir has been suffering all these years. Mehbooba Mufti says
Asking the Centre "to stop experimenting with J&K", former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday (November 2, 2026) said the Kashmir issue "will not be resolved by jailing people under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) [and the] Public Safety Act (PSA), and [by] terminating [jobs of government] employees (under special provisions, citing security) or jailing people, but by initiating talks to heal the wounds and opening roads".
"The PDP managed to open two roads for trade (with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) but those stand closed today. If roads with China can be opened in Uttarakhand, why not allow the people of Kashmir to travel to China's Kashgar and Khotan?" Ms. Mufti said at a workers' convention at the Sher-i-Kashmir Park here.
"The Government of India experimented a lot to enforce peace in Kashmir; the baton policy will not work. This silence will not last long. There is a volcano brewing in Kashmir and it can erupt. It will endanger all if not addressed. I warn Delhi about it. This year, the protesters in Delhi tasted what Kashmir has been suffering all these years," Ms. Mufti said.
"Kashmir is a land of sufis (mystics), rishis and munis (saints). Any attempt to maltreat [Kashmir] will have a cost. Dastaan na rahigi dastanoon mein (not even a trace of your story will remain in the history books)," the PDP president said, describing Kashmir as the "crown of India".
Ms. Mufti also accused the late National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah of "sowing seeds of suspicion about Kashmiris".
"Despite knowing Kashmir is a Muslim-majority region and forces like Jan Sangh and Hindu Mahasabha existed in India, Sheikh Abdullah decided to accede to Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar's India. It was a good decision but, within two years, he called for a movement for referendum in Kashmir to choose between India and Pakistan. Since then, all Kashmiris were seen as suspects in India," Ms. Mufti said.
The late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee heard the sentiments of Kashmir, "entangled between India and Pakistan".
"Mr. Vajpayee extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan, which is our neighbour. The PDP has no duplicity. I spoke about Kashmir after 2019 and warned that the entire country would suffer in the same way. However, Dr. Farooq Abdullah recently termed Pakistan as Kashmir's saviour in a speech in Kashmir. Later, in Delhi, he said [Kashmiris would spill the] 'last drop of blood for India'. This is duplicity. His earlier speech gave the impression that all Kashmiris are Pakistanis. It's the NC's duplicity that has local youth jailed and aged leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami behind bars in Kashmir," Ms. Mufti said.
The PDP leader called for introspection on why Kashmiris' identity needed to be proved even within their own land. "The PDP was created to provide an alternative in Kashmir. It was floated to end the atmosphere where everyone felt choked. Unfortunately, Kashmir is again witnessing the same atmosphere -- people are jailed, passport denied, employees' [jobs] terminated. Our land is given to a film city without our consent; tribals are evicted from their own land. Why are there still 10 lakh soldiers to man Kashmir?" Ms. Mufti said.