Anantnag: Former Chief Minister and President of the Mehbooba Mufti today visited Anantnag along with senior party leaders, including Sartaj Madni, Waheed Para, Mehboob Beg and Abdul Rehman Veeri, besides other senior workers. Speaking to the media during her visit, Mehbooba Mufti expressed serious concern over the import of foreign fruits into the country without proper taxation. She said that allowing fruits from abroad without imposing adequate taxes would negatively affect local growers and severely damage domestic industries, particularly the horticulture sector in Jammu and Kashmir. She stated that the region’s economy heavily depends on horticulture and any policy that undermines local farmers would have far-reaching consequences. She urged the government to take necessary steps to safeguard the interests of fruit growers. Referring to the recent ACB raid linked to the Deputy Chief Minister’s brother, Mehbooba said that the matter is widely known and called for complete transparency and accountability in such cases. Emphasizing the importance of grassroots democracy, she demanded that Panchayat elections be conducted at the earliest. She said elected local bodies are essential for strengthening democratic institutions at the village level and ensuring better governance and development for the people. PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Israel visit goes against India’s foreign policy principles, criticising him for “hugging a criminal.” Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she said he has been indicted by the International Criminal Court and cannot visit many countries for fear of arrest, adding that such engagement is “not a good sign for Gandhi’s India.”