Mehbooba Mufti Slams Centre After Delhi Blast, Links Red Fort Explosion to Kashmir’s Ongoing Unrest

Mehbooba Mufti, President of the PDP and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, launched a strong attack on the Centre on Monday over the deadly Delhi explosion, claiming the tragedy was a direct outcome of New Delhi’s failed policies and a mirror of Kashmir’s persistent issues.

The blast, which occurred on November 11 near the Red Fort, resulted in the deaths of thirteen people. According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the attack was carried out by suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi using a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The investigation has led to the arrest of several Kashmiris and uncovered what officials describe as a “white-collar terror” network.

“You told the world that everything in Kashmir is normal, yet its problems echoed right in front of the Red Fort,” Mufti said. “Instead of fulfilling your promise to make Jammu & Kashmir safe, your policies have made Delhi unsafe.”

Continuing her criticism of the government, she added, “I don’t know how many in the Central Government are true nationalists.”

Mufti questioned the country’s security situation after it was revealed that the bomber was an educated youth. “If a doctor straps RDX to his body and kills himself and others, where is the safety in this country? You might win votes through Hindu-Muslim politics, but where is the nation heading?” she asked.

The PDP also issued a statement urging the government to address the growing alienation in Kashmir with “sensitivity and compassion, rather than force.”

The congress party’s Jammu & Kashmir unit joined the criticism, saying the Centre owes the country an explanation for the explosive incidents in Delhi and Nowgam. This comes despite the BJP’s long-standing claim that the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 eradicated terrorism in the region.

Authorities have described the Nowgam police station blast — caused by seized explosives — as an accidental detonation that killed at least nine people, including officials.

Tariq Hameed Karra, senior J&K Congress leader, accused the BJP of misleading the public with “false statements” and alleged that the Centre is “mishandling” the Union Territory and conducting dangerous “experiments.”

“The nation is deeply concerned about the explosions in Nowgam and Delhi. Over the years, terrorism has spread even into previously peaceful regions of Jammu, despite the Centre’s claim that Article 370 was the root cause,” Karra said.

A massive investigation spanning Kashmir, Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh is currently underway. One major area of focus is Al Falah University in Faridabad, where officials say nearly 2,900 kg of explosive material was assembled just hours before the Red Fort blast.