Mehbooba Mufti Slams Omar Abdullah Over Felling of Chinar Trees, Says Saplings Can’t Replace Centuries-Old Heritage

Srinagar :  PDP President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday hit out at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the felling of Chinar trees, saying centuries-old icons of Kashmir cannot be compensated by planting saplings.

Taking to X, Mehbooba wrote, “A Chinar takes generations to reach its glory yet Omar Abdullah thinks saplings can compensate for felling these centuries old icons of Kashmir. You cannot replace centuries of heritage with a plantation drive!”

Mehbooba also raked up the ban on Kashmiri Toosh shawls, linking Omar’s stint as Commerce Minister in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

“The irony is staggering. Omar as Commerce Minister in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was associated with the ban on world famous Kashmiri Toosh shawls. Now our Chinars face the axe. First a blow to Kashmir’s woven heritage now a threat to its living heritage,” she said.

“Kashmir is not his to dismantle, one tradition and one tree at a time,” Mehbooba added.(GNS)