Jammu, 29 August (H.S.): PDP leader Iltija Mufti today said recent threats against Kashmiri Pandits had created a lot of fear within the community, claiming that their participation in a Raksha Bandhan gathering in south Kashmir's Bijbehara was significantly lower this year.

Speaking to reporters after joining Kashmiri Pandits for the celebrations, Mufti said she had been attending the gathering continuously since 2024. However, she said this was the first time she had noticed such a marked difference in the number of people attending the event.

I genuinely felt a difference. I felt that the number of Kashmiri Pandits here was much lower than usual, and somewhere I felt that they were afraid today, she said.

Mufti attributed the reduced participation to the recent threats against members of the community and urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take steps to ensure their safety and security.

She said some of the concerns shared with her by members of the community were discussed off the record, but added that there was a visible sense of fear among those present.

Mufti estimated that around 500 to 600 people had attended the gathering, but said many of them did not want to sit at the venue because of the threats.

There is a lot of fear in their hearts, she said, adding that the smaller gathering was evident to those who had been attending the event in previous years.

She also questioned the claims of normalcy and security in J&K, saying the threats against Kashmiri Pandits contradicted the narrative of a peaceful and secure environment.

Mufti alleged that the reported threats showed that the facade of normalcy was creating a false narrative, arguing that the situation on the ground was different from what was being projected.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar