During the late night Lok Sabha discussion, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Member of Parliament from Srinagar and a senior leader of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), on Monday, delivered a scathing critique of the Modi government’s approach to the recent Operation Sindoor, a military response to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. Mehdi’s speech highlighted what he described as a systemic "war against the people of Kashmir" by Indian institutions, accusing them of targeting Kashmiris even before engaging in conflict with Pakistan.
Mehdi, known for his outspoken stance on Kashmiri rights, expressed deep concern over the treatment of Kashmiris in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, which was attributed to The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. He pointed to widespread crackdowns, including the reported arrest of over 2,000 individuals across the Kashmir Valley, and the destruction of homes belonging to alleged suspects. “It is regrettable that even before waging war with Pakistan, the Indian institutions- government, media, and agencies had waged war with the Kashmiri people,” Mehdi stated, referencing similar patterns observed during the 2019 Pulwama attack. He questioned the legal basis for these actions, asking, “Under what law were homes blasted? Under what law were thousands jailed?”
Reminding the house that people of Kashmir had felt the pain of the victims, bit too personal and had taken to the streets in solidarity, yet they have been vilified by media and on social media. “The narrative that every Kashmiri is involved has led to a campaign of hate, with calls to boycott and attack Kashmiris across the country,” he said, citing incidents of violence against Kashmiri students and workers in other parts of India following the Pahalgam attack. Mehdi, whose own father was killed in a 2000 IED blast, emphasised that Kashmiris themselves have been victims of terrorism for decades. “We have suffered the same pain as those families in Pahalgam. This is not new to us, but the blame placed on our entire community is unjust and dangerous,” he added.
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025, involved Indian missile and air strikes targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, including strongholds of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. While the operation was hailed by the Indian government as a “calibrated use of force” to dismantle terror infrastructure, it sparked cross-border escalation, leading to civilian casualties and a fragile ceasefire. Mehdi’s speech did not dispute the need to combat terrorism but urged the government to distinguish between perpetrators and innocent civilians. “Kashmiris are not the enemy. We chose India in 1947 for dignity and equality, not to be silenced or marginalised,” he said, invoking the historical promise of Article 370, which he described as a safeguard for Kashmir’s identity and autonomy. “The institutions meant to protect us are instead waging a war against our youth, our identity, and our future,” he said, calling for accountability and reform in how Kashmir is governed.
Mehdi, who began speaking at 10.50 pm, was interjected by a yet to be identified MP from the ruling bench who questioned as “what was the harm if Kashmiris were suspected and some houses bombed”, to which he strongly countered and stated “that shows the real face of BJP- they want the land but not the people of Kashmir”, reasserting the argument of historical distrust.
