Srinagar- National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Wednesday condemned the “detentions of 500 people” in Jammu and Kashmir after the Kulgam terror attack, saying that “punishing an entire population for the actions of a few is not counterterrorism but collective retribution”.
On Monday, terrorists shot dead Manzoor Ahmad Wagay, an ex-serviceman, and injured his wife and 13-year-old niece in an attack in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
“I unequivocally condemn the attack on the Territorial Army soldier and his family. Violence, especially against women and children, is abhorrent. But to punish an entire population for the crimes of a few is not counterterrorism – it is collective retribution,” Mehdi said in a post on X.
The Lok Sabha member from Srinagar said he has been briefed about reports of over 500 persons being detained during raids in Kashmir.
“I have been briefed about reports of over 500 individuals being rounded up by the SOG in sweeping nocturnal raids across Kashmir. The number is suspected to be much higher in actuality.
“I fail to imagine the terror of a family whose loved ones now lie in the abyss of an opaque security system. This is not security. This is punishment by exile,” he added.
Mehdi said the establishment in J&K and in Delhi need to arrive at a common denominator as far as conducting operations in Kashmir are concerned.
“The use of vague, legally unsound terminology such as ‘OGWs’, ‘Hybrid Militants’, etc. to justify human rights violations must be shunned. No regime in the world has successfully governed a population by making itself the object of its people’s fear and resentment.
“I strongly remind you of the moral calculus at play here, if you must rule by repression, then you have already lost your legitimacy. If your idea of democracy is a valley silenced by fear rather than engaged in dialogue, then your democracy lies in darkness,” he said.
Seeks EAM’s Help For Detained Kashmiri in Saudi
Member of Parliament, Syed Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, has appealed to the External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, to intervene in the case of a Kashmiri engineer, who has been detained in Saudi Arabia for the past four years.
Aga Ruhullah, in his appeal, as per the details obtained urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to expedite the release and safe return of Abdul Rafi Baba, a 36-year-old engineer from Srinagar’s Soura area. He wrote that Baba has been held in a Saudi prison since March 1, 2020, and his family is desperate for government intervention.
“Urgent Appeal: @ruhullahmehdi has written to Hon’ble EAM @DrSJaishankar regarding the detention of a Kashmiri citizen in Saudi Arabia. He urged immediate intervention to expedite the individual’s release & safe return home. Hope @MEAIndia ensures swift action,” the office of MP Ruhullah Mehdi wrote on X.
Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that Rafi Baba, employed at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia, was arrested under unclear circumstances.
His family members said Rafi was the sole breadwinner for his family and had no criminal record in Jammu and Kashmir. “His father, Manzoor-ul-Haq Baba, said the arrest seemed linked to internal company disputes, with no valid legal charges against his son.”
Now, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’s recent tweet on X (formerly Twitter) highlighted the urgency of the situation, urging the government to ensure that justice is served and Rafi Baba is brought back safely. As of now, there has been no official response from the Ministry of External Affairs.
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