Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday urged Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to convene a special session to condemn the detention of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Meanwhile, the situation in Doda district, which witnessed protests in support of Mr. Malik, is gradually returning to normalcy.
“I urge Hon’ble Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to call a special Assembly session to condemn the PSA and arrest of MLA Mehraj Malik. A resolution can put pressure on the Centre government to release Malik and protect all MLAs from future targeting. Also, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should extend legal aid to thousands of poor Kashmiris languishing in jails across India. They need it the most,” Ms. Mufti said.
Describing the detention of the AAP MLA as “an attack on democratic values and institutions”, she said, “The J&K government should have resolved the matter through legislative procedures rather than placing an elected representative behind bars. Invoking PSA against an MLA is unacceptable.”
She pressed for a joint resolution through the Assembly to be sent to Delhi. “That is how democracy functions. Undermining democratic institutions by targeting elected leaders is sheer injustice,” Ms. Mufti said.
