Aarey Tweet By Mehbooba Mufti's Daughter Draws BJP Barb

After the Supreme Court on Monday stopped the cutting of trees in Mumbai's Aarey Colony until October 21 following protests by environmentalists, detained Jammu and Kashmir politician Mehbooba Mufti's daughter used the development to highlight the situation in her state. "Aarey trees > Kashmiri lives," read a tweet from Mehbooba Mufti's account, which is operated by her daughter Iltija. While cheering Mumbai's green activists, she said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had been denied the right to "free speech and expression".

"Glad that activists were able to stop the felling of trees at Aarey. One wonders why the Kashmiris have been deprived of the very same right to free speech and expression. GOI (Government of India) claims they are now at par with other Indians but the truth is they've been stripped of even fundamental rights," said the former chief minister's tweet.

Ms Mufti has been under detention since August 5, when the centre announced its two massive decisions– to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir and to split the state into two union territories.

Before announcing its move, the centre had rushed in thousands of paramilitary into the state and placed restrictions on large gatherings. It also blocked telecom lines and either arrested or detained hundreds of political leaders as precautionary measures.

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