PDP’s Iltija Mufti reacts to Red Fort bomber Dr Umar's video: 'Kashmiris trapped in vicious cycle'

The PDP leader warned that the video underlines the deeper societal tensions across India.

Iltija Mufti, leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, on Wednesday, expressed concern over the chilling video showing Dr Umar, a key accused in the Delhi Red Fort blast, endorsing suicide attacks. She warned that the video underlines the deeper societal tensions across India.

Taking to microblogging site X, Mufti said the video personally unsettled her as a Kashmiri and forced reflection on the escalating cycle of violence and repression in the region.

“Even as right-wing factions amplify the video, it is crucial to understand that this is a symptom of a larger problem that Delhi continues to ignore,” she wrote.

The PDP leader also outlined what she described as a recurring cycle of unrest -- widespread Islamophobia and persecution of Muslims in India, isolated terror attacks, intensified crackdowns in Kashmir, collective punishment, and ethnic profiling of Kashmiris living outside the Union Territory.

“Kashmiris are trapped in a vicious cycle,” she noted, cautioning that such patterns risk further radicalisation and instability in the region.

Over the weekend too, following the blasts near Delhi's Red Fort area and Srinagar's Nowgam police station, Mufti had expressed shock at the involvement of highly qualified professionals in the attacks.

“As a Kashmiri, it’s utterly disorienting & bewildering to know that highly qualified professionals were involved in this act of terror,” she had written on X on November 15.

She added that such incidents often trigger renewed suspicion against the entire Kashmiri community.

Mufti had also pointed out that Kashmiris are repeatedly questioned not only about their patriotism but also about their basic humanity. “One feels quite hopeless because we are in this endless loop of mindless violence, sweeping repression & suspicion followed by resentment & alienation,” she noted.