SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today witnessed protests by the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on kidnapping of a woman by five unknown people in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district.
When the House met for Question Hour, members from the PDP were on their feet, raising the issue of recent kidnap of the woman. Speaker Mubarak Gul allowed ruling National Conference member Shamima Firdous to speak.
She said it was a great cause of concern that a mother of three children was kidnapped and later left in the forest in Kokernag.
Ignoring the protests by PDP members, the Speaker said, “It is a question of a woman’s honour so I allowed Ms Shamima to speak,” he ruled.
Intervening in the matter, Tourism Minister Ghulam Ahmad Mir said this was not a first incident in south Kashmir.
He said some people are claiming that ‘bhoot’ (ghosts) have been appearing for some time and they were pelted with stones during night in parts of the south Kashmir.
He added that the woman claimed that she had gone outside of her house when some five unidentified people kidnapped her.
This, Mr Mir said, has proved that there was no ‘bhoot’ but a gang was involved in these incidents.
The Minister said the police department must act against these persons and the government will make a statement in the House.
On this, the PDP members were agitated and said the government should have acted on its own if these incidents were taking place for the past some time as admitted by Mr Mir.
