Kashmir, January 15: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday compared the 1,200-page chargesheet sedition case against Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumar, and other eight other Kashmiri students from Jawaharlal Nehru University with the hanging of Afzal Guru during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and termed it as a political stunt. JNU Sedition Row: Umar Khalid Issues Statement, Says Chargesheet Against Us Part of Centre's 'Symphony of Lies'.

Reacting to the chargesheet against former JNU students, Mehbooba Mufti said, "2014 ke elections se pehle isi tarah Congress ne Afzal Guru ko phansi di thi ye sochke ki shayad is tarah se unko kamyabi milegi. Aaj BJP wahi dohra rahi hai. Aaj unhone ek to Kanhaiya, Umar Khalid, unke alawa J&K ke 7-8 students ke khilaf chargesheet kiya hai (Just like Congress hanged Afzal Guru before the 2014 elections for their political gains, similarly the Bharatiya Janata Party is doing same with Kanhaiya, Umar Khalid, and other seven-eight other Kashmiri students)"

Speaking on PDP's association with BJP, Mehbooba said, "We shook hands with BJP as they had the mandate, to have talks on Jammu and Kashmir issue just like former PM Atal Vajpayee Ji held talks with Hurriyat and Pakistan. But Narendra Modi Ji couldn't walk on the path of Vajpayee Ji even though he had the mandate." Mehbooba Mufti's Pitch For Solution in Kashmir: 'Engage With Pakistan, Take up Imran Khan's Invite'.

Apart from Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, other charged in the case are Anirban Bhattacharya, Aquib Hussain, Muneeb Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain, Rayeea Rassol, Umar Gul, Basharat and Bashir Bhat. From 'Bharat Tere Tukde Honge' to 'Kashmir Ki Azaadi': List of All Slogans Allegedly Raised by Chargesheeted JNU Students.

The event to commemorate the death anniversary of terrorist Afzal Guru, at the JNU on 9 February 2016 had sparked a row. It is alleged that anti-national slogans such as "Bharat ke tere tukde honge, Insha'Allah, Insha'Allah" was raised by Khalid, Kanhaiya and several others. Many videos of the incident are going viral on the internet. However, some of them are doctored. Meanwhile, Police said that after the forensic examination of the videos, four clips are found to be genuine in which JNU student leaders are seen shouting contagious slogans.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 15, 2019 08:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).