Farooq Abdullah Urges Humanitarian Review Of Cases Against Detained Kashmiri Youth
Abdullah noted that while maintaining law and order is essential, it is equally important to understand the sentiments that drove the youth to the streets: Reports
SRINAGAR: Former Chief Minister and ruling National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Monday called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah to adopt a compassionate and humanitarian approach toward the young people detained across the Kashmir Valley during protests following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei in a joint U.S.-Israel air strike. He said the demonstrations reflected the deep emotional response of many in J&K, who share long-standing cultural and spiritual ties with Iran.
Abdullah noted that while maintaining law and order is essential, it is equally important to understand the sentiments that drove the youth to the streets. According to him, the protesters were expressing distress over developments in a country that holds significant cultural and religious importance for many in the region. He stressed that most of those detained were very young—many still students—and warned that criminal cases at such a formative stage could jeopardise their futures and serve neither justice nor society.
He appealed to the Home Minister and security agencies to review the cases sympathetically, withdraw the FIRs, and release the detained youth, especially students. Abdullah said that a compassionate response would reassure families, reduce the risk of alienation among young people, and help guide them back toward education, responsibility, and constructive engagement. He expressed hope that the administration and the Union Home Ministry would respond with sensitivity, keeping in mind the broader goal of nurturing peace, stability, and opportunity for the youth of J&K.
Meanwhile, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, and NC Rajya Sabha members Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, and Gurwinder Singh Oberoi, visited the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi separately on Monday. They signed the condolence book on the “martyrdom” of Ayatollah Khamenei. Mufti was accompanied by PDP MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi. During the visit, the leaders met Iran’s Ambassador to India, Dr. Mohammad Fathali, and conveyed their sorrow and condolences on behalf of the people of J&K. End it
