Mehbooba Mufti says non-local workers were ordered to leave Kashmir Valley; is it true? – First post

Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday dismissed the ‘unsubstantiated rumours’ as ‘baseless rumours’. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti claims that non-local workers were asked to leave the valley in the aftermath of the terror attack at Gagangir construction site in which seven persons were killed.

Mehbooba Mufti went to X and asked Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to prevent any exodus of non-local workers from the Valley.

“After the barbaric attack on the Sonamarg, there are reports that the local administrator is pressuring non-local workers to leave the Valley immediately. While I understand their obvious sense of panic, asking them to leave like this is not a solution,” Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on X.

However, the police and civic administration dismissed the claim as “baseless” and urged people not to pay heed to such false reports on social media.

Rumors that the government would force non-local workers to leave Kashmir are “baseless and without any merit”, an official spokesperson said here.

“The divisional administration has taken all required measures to ensure safety and security of non-local workers in the Valley. The rumors being spread on social media platforms about the government pressuring non-local workers to leave the Valley are false,” the spokesperson said.

The government also urged the people to desist from amplifying the baseless rumors and sought the cooperation of locals to defeat the agenda of individuals with vested interests who want to derail peace in the Valley.

Mehbooba Mufti said workers leaving the area will create more problems and send a negative message to the country.

“It will only cause more difficulties and send a very bad message to the country. J&K recently witnessed peaceful, terror-free elections and this knee-jerk reaction will only prove otherwise,” the former chief minister said.

The PDP president said this move could also lead to outrage against Kashmiris working or studying in other parts of the country.

“Ask PM @OmarAbdullah and LG @manojsinha_ji to intervene and at least give them enough time,” she added.

A doctor and six workers were gunned down by terrorists at a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway on Sunday evening.

In a post on

Social media reports claiming that the local administration has asked non-local workers to leave the valley are false.

“The Jammu and Kashmir Police is committed to ensuring security and promoting a safe environment in which all individuals can pursue their livelihoods without fear or intimidation.

“The general public is advised not to pay heed to such false information on social media platforms,” it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)