Ruling National Conference (NC) and Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday (July 27, 2026) engaged in a war of words over the use of pellet guns in the past, with J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seeking an apology from PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti for fresh remarks over crowd control. Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded a ban on the PDP on the lines of Jamaat-e-Islami.

“A former Chief Minister should have apologised instead of denying what was said and dismissing it as ‘AI’. The media witnessed those remarks firsthand. Calling them fabricated only insults people’s intelligence. Admitting a mistake would have shown strength; instead, repeated attempts to justify the statement have only deepened the hurt. When leaders normalise the suppression of peaceful protests as “justified,” they weaken the very fight for the democratic rights of Jammu & Kashmir,” said Mr. Abdullah.

Mr. Abdullah’s remarks came days after Ms. Mufti’s interview, where she said “security forces in Kashmir justify the excessive use of force on protesters because of militancy but there was no such pretext in Delhi for demonstrators at Jantar Mantar”. The NC cornered Ms. Mufti over her remarks in Urdu, “Kashmir ka banta hai”, and alleged it was a bid to “describe all the protesters in Kashmir as militants”. 

“The reasons behind those remarks should be explained. These statements appear to justify the use of force, arrests and other actions in J&K on the grounds of militancy and were deeply disturbing,” said Mr. Abdullah.

He said it was an old political habit of Ms. Mufti of maintaining one stand in J&K and another in Delhi. “Such remarks could discourage people from raising democratic demands, including the demand for restoration of Statehood,” said Ms. Mufti. He also criticised Ms. Mufti for addressing the protesters at Jantar Mantar and not supporting the NC’s protest over Statehood at the same venue.

Meanwhile, PDP leader and legislator Waheed-ur-Rehmaan Parra said the NC’s narrative was “to divert attention from the 3500 arrested in J&K after the Anantnag attack”. “Ms. Mufti is emerging as a major voice for people of Kashmir, whether it’s demolitions or mass arrests. She is the first to raise the voice, whether it was the Iran war or the Waqf bill,” said Mr. Parra.

Another PDP leader, Khurshid Alam, accused Mr. Abdullah of “introducing pellet guns into J&K’s policing apparatus”. “Mr. Abdullah pushed pellet guns as Chief Minister, effectively equipping the police with a weapon whose consequences must now be attributed to the NC rather than to the force that carried out lawful duties with it,” said Mr. Alam. 

He said Ms Mufti’s rising national and international profile has rattled the NC. “Ms. Mufti’s invitation to Iran. The attempt to target Ms. Mufti’s reputation is a diversion from NC’s own record,” he added.

Meanwhile, J&K Peoples Conference staged a protest in Srinagar over Ms. Mufti’s remarks. “Mehbooba Ji, apologise to the people of Kashmir. If you do not apologise, today we are inside the party office; tomorrow we will be on the streets,” said JKPC state secretary Sheikh Mohammad Imran. 

He said the PDP government oversaw the extensive use of pellet guns. “Over 13 lakh pellets were fired, while Ms. Mufti herself had acknowledged in the Assembly that around 7,000 pellet cartridges were used,” said Mr. Imran.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Sunila Sharma said the NC and PDP were not standing with our forces and “echoing Pakistan’s narrative and encouraging anti-national elements”.

“The way they are behaving is exactly like Jamaat-e-Islami and Hurriyat used to. The same action taken against Jamaat and Hurriyat should be taken against them as well, and the PDP should be banned in J&K like Jamaat was. Those who picked up guns and stones to run Pakistan’s agenda cannot be forgiven,” said Mr. Sharma.

Referring to the recent killing of a policeman in a terror attack in Anantnag, Mr. Sharma said, “There can be no politics when it comes to national security. The NC and PDP must stop undermining our forces for political gain. Anyone supporting or involved in terrorism must face the full force of the law.