PDP delegation denied permission to meet Mehbooba

The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Tuesday that the administration had denied permission to its delegation to meet party president Mehbooba Mufti, currently under detention in Srinagar.

On Monday, the PDP leadership in Jammu had forwarded a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar seeking permission afresh to meet the detained leader on October 30.

The administration had earlier given permission to a delegation of PDP leaders to meet the former chief minister, but the party deferred the proposed visit following serious differences within its camp over the visit.

"A request by PDP leaders to meet party chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has been turned down by the administration," senior party leader and former legislator Ved Mahajan said.

He said there was no official response to the party's communication.

"We have though been unofficially told that permission at this stage will not be granted," he added.

Mehbooba, along with other prominent mainstream leaders in Kashmir Valley, have been under detention since August 5 when the Centre announced its decisions to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and split the state into two Union Territories.

On October 6, the PDP announced that it had got permission from Governor Satya Pal Malik to visit Mehbooba, but within hours deferred the visit after several senior leaders came out in open and challenged the authority of those who had sought permission from the administration at that time.

They targeted Mahajan, who was in the forefront at that time as well, for "sidelining" them while taking such an important decision.

They also accused Mahajan and others of following the footsteps of the National Conference, a delegation of which had visited Srinagar and met detained party president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah October 6.