Mehbooba Mufti questions PM Modi's pledge to protect free speech amid Mohammed Zubair's arrest

New Delhi: Peoples Democratic Party President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the arrest of the fact-checking website Alt News co-founder and journalist Mohammed Zubair and bashed the BJP-led central government. She said, "I strongly condemn the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair by Delhi Police". Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mehbooba said, "On one side PM Modi signed the G7 declaration to safeguard freedom of expression and back in India, his government arrested the AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair who used to bring real news, who had exposed Nupur Sharma."

She further said, "It all started in Kashmir valley post 2019, when BJP and its government started to harass journalists who did real stories, not propaganda. They (journalists) were booked under UAPA and other draconian laws."

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Bashing the BJP, she added, "India is a democratic country, but BJP is doing the total opposite of democratic setup which is very lethal for the country".

"India started to act like China ceasing the freedom of expression and muzzling the voice journalists," she said.

Mehbooba concluded by saying that it's time for the civil society here to stand against all odds and oppose the ceasing of freedom of expression with full force which she said is the only one way we can be able to safeguard our democratic setup. 

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