Honourable Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah North Block, New Delhi 110001 Dear Sir, | am left with no other option but to write to you since I've made several unsuccessful attempts to get a degree of clarity on my detention. Hope and pray that I'm not punished/penalised or arrested for raising questions about my fundamental rights. Kashmir is engulfed in clouds. of darkness and I fear for the safety of its people including those who spoke up . We Kashmiris are reeling in despair since the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 on S" August, 2019. My mother Ms Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister J&K was detained along with scores of other elected representatives the very same day. Its now been over ten long agonising days since this crippling curfew was imposed. The valley is gripped with fear because all forms of communication have been snapped thereby debilitating an entire population. Today while the rest of the country celebrates India’s Independence Day, Kashmiris have been caged like animals & deprived of basic human rights. Unfortunately, for reasons best known to you, | have also been detained at my residence. We are not even told when visitors are turned away from the gate & am not allowed to step out either. Odd since 1 am not affiliated to any political party & have always been a law abiding citizen. However, the security personnel have cited my interviews to various media portals & newspapers as the reason for my detention. In fact, I've been threatened with dire consequences if | speak up again. Pertinent to mention that the recurrent theme of these interviews was unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370 followed by an unprecedented curfew. | also expressed concern for my mother’s safety who along with hundreds of political detainees have been jailed since 5® August, 2019. ‘With due respect, | fail to understand why | am being punished for speaking on behalf of Kashmiris ‘whose voices have been smothered. Isit a crime to articulate the pain, torment & indignity we've been subjected to? Does it warrant a detention to describe our plight? I will be most obliged if you could kindly throw light on the laws under which I've been detained and for how long? Do I need to seek legal recourse? It’s suffocating & humiliating to be treated in this manner. have to grovel for permission to allow my aged grandmother to visit her son. Is she also a potential threat? For the world’s largest democracy, doesn’t a citizen have a right to speak up in the face of unimaginable repression? Satyamev Jayate i.e. truth only triumphs has defined the spirit of our country & it’s constitution. It’s a tragic irony that I am being treated like a war criminal for stating the inconvenient truth. Apologies for not posting this letter but as you're aware, postal services too have been suspended in J&K. May truth prevail Regards ttija Mufti