Srinagar, Jul 28: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister of erstwhile state Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday expressed regret over her remarks made during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, attributing the controversy to an inadvertent omission of a word that, she said, altered the meaning of what she intended to convey.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mufti said she had meant to use the phrase “Bahana Banta Hain” (it becomes an excuse), but while speaking in haste, omitted the word “Bahana” and ended up saying only “Banta Hain” (it is justified).
“I gave bytes to a lot of people there. In one byte, I said there is militancy and intended to say ‘Bahana Banta Hain,’ but I could not utter the word ‘Bahana’ due to hurriedness. I thought I had said that,” she said.
Mufti acknowledged that the omission substantially changed the meaning of her statement and expressed regret over the resulting remarks.
The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister also rejected any suggestion that the video circulating online had been fabricated or manipulated, unequivocally acknowledging its authenticity.
“I wouldn’t say that video is fake, it is genuine,” she conceded
