Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Iltija Mufti, daughter of Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, was issued a standard passport with a 10-year validity on Friday. Iltija received a standard passport more than a month after she filed a fresh appeal with the Jammu and Kashmir High Court asking for its intervention in extending the validity of her passport and removing any restrictions on her international travel.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Iltija said, "Devender Kumar, the regional passport officer, called me to his office and gave me a standard passport with a 10-year expiry date. I am free to travel wherever in the globe because he didn't lay down any restrictions on how I was supposed to use the passport." She said, "The passport is a basic right, and I finally got one today after a one-and-a-half-year fight. This applies to both my situation and that of a typical Kashmiri. They are also being denied this fundamental right by the government institutions. Kashmiris are being persecuted and harassed by having their passports impounded. Who gave them this authority? I hope that after this, journalists, students and other Kashmiris, who get the chance to travel abroad will also get some relief in getting a standard passport."
"I am a law-abiding person, and I have not engaged in any scam or fraud, as such passport issuing authorities had no authority to place any limitations on me, she replied in response to the question regarding any restrictions or conditions on the fresh passport. "The High Court (Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh) was to rule on my case on August 31, and I wanted the court to deliver a ruling on my passport. I pursued the case in court because I wanted the HC to provide a strong decision in similar circumstances. Unfortunately, I obtained my passport prior to the decision. I wanted people, who have been denied or are waiting for passports to have a solid foundation for their case. I still believe that they could find some solace through my case," she remarked.
On June 18, the 35-year-old Iltija Mufti went before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to contest the conditional passport that had been issued to her. Her argument was that because her passport was only valid for travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and solely for her further education, it limits the range of her international travel.
