Police in Srinagar prevented the PDP’s women’s wing from marching out of the party office on Monday to protest a proposed increase in power tariffs, prompting party chief Mehbooba Mufti to accuse authorities of stifling peaceful political expression in Jammu and Kashmir.
The party's women wing had planned to hold a protest against the proposed hike in power tariffs at peak hours; however, the police, according to officials, did not allow their workers to leave the party headquarters near Sher-e-Kashmir Municipal Park here.
"The J&K Police stopping PDPs Women Wing from holding a peaceful protest against the crushing rise in power tariffs is yet another continuation of the assault on our democratic rights since 2019.
"When even the most peaceful voices are throttled under the pretext of law and order it sends a chilling message that our pain is irrelevant that our rights are expendable and that speaking up now carries an unfair cost," Mufti posted on X.
She said such moves were pushing the Kashmiris against the wall and denying them their basic demand of being heard.
"This constant silencing is pushing Kashmiris to the wall suffocating our hopes and even our basic demand to be heard. Such relentless suppression leaves deep wounds on an entire community and fosters an overwhelming sense of collective punishment," she added.