The Jammu and Kashmir administration’s move to profile mosques, madrassas and religious functionaries has triggered sharp political reactions, with PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Congress leader Shahnawaz Choudhary calling it an intrusion into religious affairs and a threat to India’s secular fabric.

Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of the erstwhile state, said the exercise amounted to interference in Muslim religious life and questioned why similar steps were not being taken for other faiths.

"The latest order for mosques is interference in our religious affairs. If they have to do it, then they should start with other religions. Let them seek the details about priests in temples, and in which temple can shudras go and in which can Brahmins go," she told reporters.

She also said authorities should seek details about finances linked to temples.

"The police already have the record of the number of mosques in J-K and how much land they have. But now, seeking details of maulvis, imams, their photos, Aadhar cards and doing this much profiling are an attempt to intimidate and keep Muslims away from their religion in J-K," Mufti said.

According to her, the exercise has created fear among imams and mosque management committees.

"This five-page proforma has been made in such a way that it seems they are not imams or maulvis or teachers or members of masjid committees, but they are OGWs (over ground workers). The way OGWs are harassed and asked to give all their details in a police station, in the same way, details are being sought from mosques as if these are crime scenes," she said.

Mufti challenged the government to apply the same process to other religious institutions.

"First, they laid their hands on the waqf properties, and now they want to lay their hands on mosques which are not even waqf properties. They are also seeking details about sects. What do they have to do about the sects with which we are associated? Mosques are open for all irrespective of sects. It is not like that Dalits cannot enter," she said, adding that the government’s silence on the issue was worrying.

"They have a habit that wherever they fail, they say this was done by PDP and Mufti. They have no answer to any question," Mufti said.

The Congress also raised objections. Shahnawaz Choudhary, secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and district president of the Pradesh Congress Committee for Poonch, said the steps were excessive and punitive.

"The collective suspecting of an entire religion or community is not only unconstitutional but also extremely dangerous for the country's social fabric," Choudhary said.

The profiling drive began after security agencies busted a so-called “white collar” terror module last year.

Authorities have circulated a proforma through village numberdars to collect details of mosques, madrassas, imams, teachers and management committee members across the Union Territory.

Choudhary said security concerns must be addressed, but without weakening constitutional values.

"While legitimate security concerns need to be tackled firmly and professionally, no threat to security can be greater than any damage to the foundational idea of India – a nation built on pluralism, equality, and mutual respect," he said.

He warned that blanket suspicion could deepen divisions.

"Alienating and cornering any community through blanket suspicion breeds distrust and division, which in turn becomes the biggest internal security risk," Choudhary said, adding that such measures erode trust between citizens and the state.

Pointing to the role of Muslims in maintaining security in Jammu and Kashmir, he said Hindu and Muslim police personnel serve together.

"Yet, in the fight against terrorism, more than 95 per cent of the security personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty were from the Muslim community – a fact that underscores their unwavering patriotism and sacrifice for the nation," he said.

Choudhary said the profiling drive ignored these sacrifices and urged the government to halt the process.

He called upon the government to immediately stop these practices, ensuring that all security actions remain targeted, intelligence-driven and fully aligned with constitutional values and secular principles.

He reiterated the Congress party’s stand on secularism and appealed to citizens to oppose measures that could disturb social harmony.