India blocks PDP leader Iltija Mufti’s X account over Gilani’s video clip
Srinagar: In a fresh assault on free speech in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the X account of Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti, daughter of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, has been withheld in India following a legal demand.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the platform blocked Iltija’s account days after India’s Cyber Police registered an FIR against her over a viral video clip featuring late veteran Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Gilani.
Users in India attempting to access her account are now met with a notice stating that access has been restricted in compliance with a legal request. The move has sparked outrage, with critics calling it part of New Delhi’s ongoing crackdown on Kashmiri voices.
Iltija, a vocal critic of the BJP-led administration, has repeatedly flagged human rights violations, demographic changes, and political repression in IIOJK since August 2019.
Observers say withholding her account under the garb of a “legal demand” reflects India’s shrinking space for dissent in the occupied territory. The action against Iltija Mufti comes amid a wider pattern of FIRs, internet curbs, and social media takedowns targeting journalists, activists, and pro-freedom leaders in Kashmir.
PDP leaders termed the ban “undemocratic” and aimed at silencing legitimate political expression. “Truth cannot be withheld by blocking accounts,” a party spokesman said.
