Srinagar, October 19: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the felling of centuries-old Chinar trees in Kashmir, saying the loss of the region’s heritage trees could not be compensated for through plantation drives.

In a post on X, the former chief minister stressed that trees which had taken generations to grow could not be replaced by planting new saplings.

“You cannot replace centuries of heritage with a plantation drive,” Mufti said.

Drawing a parallel with the controversy over Kashmiri Toosh shawls, she also accused Abdullah of being associated with a ban on the traditional handicraft during his tenure as Commerce Minister in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

“First a blow to Kashmir’s woven heritage, now a threat to its living heritage,” she said.

Mufti further asserted that Kashmir’s cultural and natural legacy must be protected, adding that the region could not afford to lose its traditions and heritage trees.

“Kashmir is not his to dismantle, one tradition and one tree at a time,” she said.