Srinagar, July 13 -- Former Chief Minister and President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, lashed out at the government's decision to restrict access to the historic Martyrs' Graveyard on the anniversary of July 13, calling it a "betrayal of history" and a "mockery of national reconciliation."

"The day you accept our heroes as your own-just as Kashmiris have embraced yours, from Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh-that day, as Prime Minister Modi once said, the dil ki doori (distance of hearts) will truly end," Mehbooba said, underlining the enduring divide between state power and the sentiments of the Kashmiri people.

Denouncing the lockdown-like restrictions and the reported detention of several PDP leaders, Mehbooba a...