Srinagar, Feb 20: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the issue of renewal of her, her mother’s and daughter Iltija Mufti’s passport.
According to a letter, , Mehbooba Mufti expressed her anguish over the matter that authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have been denying renewal of passport to all three for the last 3 years.
“I am writing to you about a matter that has dragged on needlessly for the last three years. My mother & I applied for passport renewal in March 2020. Authorties gave an adverse report that issuing passports to my eighty year old mother & me would undermine national security,” reads the letter.
It reads: “We moved J&K High Court & after the case dragged on for three years, the Court gave clear directions that the Regional Passport Office in Srinagar shouldn’t deny passports on vague grounds. In my case, I was asked to approach the Passport Authority of India which I have done multiple times since 2021. Unfortunately, I have not received a positive response yet.”
It added the inordinate & deliberate delay in issuing my passport is a grave violation of “my fundamental right.”
“My daughter Iltija applied for her passport renewal in June 2022. Her application too is in limbo & it seems that the Passport Office in Srinagar is yet again failing to discharge its duty. For the past three years, I have been waiting eagerly to take my mother on a pilgrimage to Mecca,” it reads.
It further reads as a daughter, “I feel pained & anguished to be unable to fulfil such a simple wish because of petty politics. I write to you hoping that you will look into the matter urgently.” kns
This post was published on February 21, 2023