Passport Renewal Issue: Mehbooba Mufti writes to S Jaishankar, seeks redressal

Passport Renewal Issue: Mehbooba Mufti writes to S Jaishankar, seeks redressal

People’s Democratic Party president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the issue of renewal of her, her mother’s and daughter Iltija Mufti’s passport.

According to a letter, a copy of which lies with Kashmir News Service (KNS), Mehbooba Mufti expressed her anguish over the matter that authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have been denying renewal of passport to all three for the last 3 years.

“I am writing to you about a matter that has dragged on needlessly for the last three years. My mother & I applied for passport renewal in March 2020. Authorties gave an adverse report that issuing passports to my eighty year old mother & me would undermine national security,” reads the letter.

It reads: “We moved J&K High Court & after the case dragged on for three years, the Court gave clear directions that the Regional Passport Office in Srinagar shouldn’t deny passports on vague grounds. In my case, I was asked to approach the Passport Authority of India which I have done multiple times since 2021. Unfortunately, I have not received a positive response yet.”

It added the inordinate & deliberate delay in issuing my passport is a grave violation of “my fundamental right.”

“My daughter Iltija applied for her passport renewal in June 2022. Her application too is in limbo & it seems that the Passport Office in Srinagar is yet again failing to discharge its duty. For the past three years, I have been waiting eagerly to take my mother on a pilgrimage to Mecca,” it reads.

It further reads as a daughter, “I feel pained & anguished to be unable to fulfil such a simple wish because of petty politics. I write to you hoping that you will look into the matter urgently.” (KNS)

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