Mufti shifted to govt house

Majid Jahangir & Dinesh Manhotra

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Tribune News Service

Srinagar/Jammu, November 15

Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has been shifted from a J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) hut in Chashma Shahi to a government house, which has been turned into a jail in the city centre in Srinagar on Friday.

Mehbooba was arrested hours before abrogation of Article 370 on August 5. She was detained at a guest house turned sub-jail at Chashma Shahi in Zabarwan foothills for nearly 100 days.

Mehbooba along with former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were first lodged at Hari Niwas guest house, but days later Mehbooba was shifted to a Chashma Shahi hut.

Mehbooba was shifted to a new place 10 days after her daughter, Iltija Mufti, wrote to Srinagar District Magistrate to shift her “ailing” mother to a place equipped to deal with the Valley’s harsh winter.

“We have shifted her to a government house along the MA road,” a senior government official said.

The house where former CM has been lodged is close to a government bungalow where her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed stayed when he became the Chief Minister in 2002. At present, the bungalow has been allotted to Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh.

Meanwhile, several leaders detained at Centaur Hotel are being shifted to MLAs’ Hostel in Srinagar. Sources said some leaders detained at the hotel would be released within a week, while some of them would be shifted to the MLAs’ Hostel.

It may be recalled that Iltija Mufti had written a letter in the first week of November and asked the administration to shift her mother.

“The Centre will be responsible if anything happens to Mehbooba Mufti, who is president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”, wrote Iltija to Srinagar Deputy Commissioner.

She had written that her mother was not keeping well with vitamin D, hemoglobin and calcium levels. Iltija has been tweeting from her mother’s Twitter handle since September 20.

“She has been shifted to a house near the Transport Lane,” Iltija told The Tribune.

With Kashmir witnessing a freezing cold, the UT administration is contemplating to shift political detainees to some other locations, which have proper heating arrangements.