Srinagar: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Wednesday that its youth leader Waheed Para's persecution by the Indian government is "emblematic of the situation that Kashmiri politicians find themselves in today".
Saying that her last hope rests on the justice system, the former chief minister said that she hopes that truth & justice would prevail.
Para, who was arrested after filing his nomination papers for the DDC elections in J&K, won the polls from Pulwama while in custody. He has, so far, not been administered oath as DDC member.
In a series of tweets, Mehbooba Mufti said, "Waheed's persecution by the Indian government is emblematic of the situation that Kashmiri politicians find themselves in today. Disliked & mistrusted by people in J&K for their faith in Indian constitution on one hand & punished by GOI for not toeing their line on the other."
She also recalled Waheed's grandfather who would unfurl the Indian flag when not many Kashmiris would do so. "Waheed’s interest in politics started at a young age. As a child, he’d visit the local MLA’s house & listen to political conversations with rapt attention. His mother was scared that one fine day he’d pursue this passion for politics & become a target for militants. Sadly this fear consumed her & she died when Waheed was a teenager.