‘Voice Notes, Letters’: How Mehbooba & Daughter Spoke In Secret

‘The letter I wrote was rolled inside and locked inside the middle of a chapatti,’ Iltija wrote on Twitter.

Image used for representational purposed. 

(Photo: The Quint)

In a strongly worded note shared on Twitter on 6 February, Iltija Mufti. daughter of Mehbooba Mufti has detailed the accounts of her mother’s six-month-long detention, how she managed to communicate with the former J&K chief minister and the situation in the Valley.

This comes as the Jammu and Kashmir administration booked four politicians, including Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah under the the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were detained since 5 August, when the Centre announced the abrogation of Article 370.

‘Exchanged Notes Hidden In Tiffin Boxes’

Describing how she managed to communicate with Mehbooba Mufti, Iltija said that the first of her many conversations with her mother was through a “tensely worded note” she received in a tiffin box which contained food sent for Mehbooba Mufti.

“They have taken an undertaking that I wont be using social media to communicate. In case someone else does it, he’ll be booked on charges of impersonation. Love you and miss you a lot,” is what Mehbooba Mufti wrote in her first note sent to her family, mentions Iltija in the letter shared on Twitter.

She further mentions that this triggered a series of exchanges between the mother and the daughter through notes rolled in chapatis sent for Mehbooba.

“My grandmother found an ingenious solution. The letter I wrote was folded into a tiny square and carefully sealed, rolled and locked inside the middle of a chapati,” Iltija said.

‘Kashmir Reduced to Dante’s Inferno For The Living’

In her long letter on Twitter, Iltija also mentioned that abrogation of Article 370 has “deprived” the people of Jammu and Kashmir of their fundamental rights and has caused “grave economic & psychological tribulations” in the region.

“According to recent estimates, commerce and industry have reported losses close to 18,000 crores and counting. This figure is nearly thrice of what J&K's economy suffered due to floods in 2014. GOI wilfully facilitated and watched on as a man made blockade broke the back of our economy,” she wrote.

‘Clouds of Gloom & Despair Have Enveloped Kashmir’

Accusing the government of disregarding constitutional values, Iltija further mentions that the Modi government is “sowing seeds of division and bigotry”.

“Whether its Ayodhya verdict or communal CAA, its painfully obvious that sowing seeds of division, bigotry and demonising minorities will define the agenda of a government that enjoys unparalleled impunity due to a brute mandate,” she wrote.

She further mentioned that she hopes “the clouds of gloom & despair that have enveloped Kashmir & this country dissipate soon”.

“As a child, I have memories of my mother going from pillar to post to free boys wrongfully detained by security forces. Today, as I fight for her freedom, life has come full circle.”

Iltija Mufti on Twitter