Jammu: A day after she warned the government of “dire consequences” over alleged harassment of militant families, Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday said that supporting militants has become a political compulsion for the PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.
The former chief minister had on Sunday warned the Governor and the state police against the alleged harassment of a Pulwama woman (whose brother happens to be a militant), her husband and brother in police custody at a Jammu police station.
Addressing media here on the sidelines of a function, Malik said, “Since I am Governor, I don’t feel bad about what Mehbooba said about me the previous day. Moreover, she is daughter of my friend (Mufti Sayeed), I don’t take her words seriously. But, I personally feel that it is her (Mehbooba’s) political compulsion to support militants to regain the lost base in Valley.”
The Governor also said, “We’ve directed our forces not to harass family members of militants. We don’t have any issue with the militants’ families. At the same time, I want to assure her (Mehbooba) that if any family member of the militants has been harassed in custody, I will order a high level probe into it.”