Govt slams Mehbooba Mufti's remark against Army officer, calls it “selective condemnation”

New Delhi, Feb 06: Union Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh on Wednesday came down heavily on former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti for alleging an Army officer of torturing a man from Pulwama, and dubbed it as "selective condemnation of human rights".

Mufti on Tuesday demanded action against an Army officer, who allegedly subjected a man from Pulwama to torture and threatened to kill him in an encounter, PTI had reported.

Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh

"Selective condemnation of human rights...these leaders are quick to express their sympathies if a terrorist gets killed in an encounter. But a security personnel performing call of duty doesn't receive a single word of sympathy," news agency ANI quoted Singh as saying today.

But the people of Kashmir now have begun to see through this duplicity. Since election is here they are trying to appease a certain constituency but this isn't going to work because the tricks of last election are notgoing to work in this election," he added.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti

After paying a visit to the man, Tauseef Wani, at the SMHS hospital in Srinagar, Mufti had requested the Governor and the Army chief to look into the matter.

"I would request the governor and the Army chief to look into the matter as to why has the Army officer so brutally tortured this youth that he has been hospitalised," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and the PDP chief told reporters after hospital visit.

Mufti had alleged an Army officer of torturing a youth

Wani has alleged that he was called to the Shadimarg camp of the Army by one Major Shukla, where he was tortured. According to him, he was also threatened that if he did not pose with a gun, he would be eliminated in an encounter.

"Tauseef's father was killed by militants 23 years ago and his younger brother is serving in the Army. If this is what is done to our own people, those who have relatives in the Army, what will be the fate of others," Mehbooba said.

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief said Major Shukla was spoken about highly for being a brave soldier, adding, "What kind of bravado is this to call a person to the camp and torture him?"

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik

Reacting to this, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said that Mufti need not be taken seriously.

"Chunaav ka waqt hai, unki party toot rahi hai, kharab haal mein hai. Wo isi kism ke support se taakat mein aayi thi, unko seriously lene ki zarurat nahi. Humare suraksha balon ka kisi Mehbooba Mufti ji ke bayan se manobal nahi girne diya jayega (Elections are near, her party is breaking and in bad shape. She came to power by garnering this kind of support, no need to take her seriously. Will allow the morale of the armed forces to drop becasue of statements made by Mehbooba Mufti)," Malik told media today (Feb 6).

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks about breaking the backbone of terror, Mehbooba had earlier said the Kashmir issue was a political one which could not be resolved militarily.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs