Ruhullah Mehdi condemns illegal demolition of Jammu journalist’s home in Indian parliament
New Delhi: National Conference senior leader and Indian parliament member from Srinagar, Agha Ruhullah Mehdi raised the demolition of Jammu-based journalist Arfaz Ahmad Daing’s house in the Lok Sabha, condemning growing discriminatory actions and urging the Modi government to uphold legal procedures.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking during the ongoing session of the Indian parliament, Ruhullah Mehdi said that Arfaz’s house in Jammu, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, had been demolished illegally, without any prior notice.
He highlighted that the Muslim journalist’s home was razed without following legal procedure and asked whether there was now a “competition” between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and IIOJK Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha “over who will demolish more homes of Muslims”.
Ruhullah further questioned whether the country would “run with laws or with an ideology of Islamophobia imported from Israel”.
The Srinagar MP also thanked Jammu resident Kuldeep Sharma for donating his land to Arfaz, saying Sharma’s gesture proved that “no matter how many minds are poisoned, we (Kashmiris) are one”.
Earlier, on November 27, occupation authorities demolished Arfaz Ahmed’s residence in Narwal area of Jammu without serving any prior demolition notice. The action triggered widespread outrage from political leaders, lawyers and human rights activists, who termed it a direct assault on press freedom in IIOJK. Arfaz, a freelance journalist, is known for reporting on social, political and human-rights issues in the occupied territory.
