Mehbooba Mufti, denied passport, calls it Kashmir's 'normalcy'

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said she has been denied a passport due to an “adverse” police verification report.

The PDP chief, who has spent over a year in detention since the abrogation of Article 370 and was released only October last, tweeted a letter she has received from the passport officer, which informed her that her passport application was rejected as the UT’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had recommended against against it.

“Passport Office refused to issue my passport based on CIDs report citing it as detrimental to the security of India. This is the level of normalcy achieved in Kashmir since Aug 2019 that an ex Chief Minister holding a passport is a threat to the sovereignty of a mighty nation,” she tweeted on Monday.

The letter says that Mehbooba can appeal against the decision at a higher forum provided by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Commenting on the rejection of her application, the PDP president said it shows the level of normalcy achieved in Kashmir.

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Mehbooba was among the hundreds of leaders who were detained during the revocation of Kashmir’s special status in August 2019, and was released a year later, in October 2020. She is now facing a money laundering probe by the ED. She has accused the government of misusing central agencies and targeting her for having dissenting views.

(With inputs from agencies)