SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday strongly criticised the detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), terming it an attack on democratic values and institutions while urging speaker to call assembly session immediately.
Speaking to media persons, Mehbooba said the government should have resolved the matter through legislative procedures rather than placing an elected representative behind bars.
“Invoking PSA against an MLA is unacceptable. The Speaker should have convened an emergency Assembly session, debated the matter and passed a resolution to be sent to Delhi. That is how democracy functions,” Mehbooba said.
She accused the government of bypassing democratic forums and silencing dissent. “Whatever political scores you have to settle with PDP, do it openly. But undermining democratic institutions by targeting elected leaders is sheer injustice,” she remarked.
Reacting to CM Omar Abdullah’s remarks on providing legal assistance, the PDP chief said, “Legal help must be extended to thousands of poor prisoners languishing in jails across India whose families have no resources, not to an MLA who has the means to defend himself.”
Mehbooba also reminded that thousands of Kashmiri detainees are lodged in prisons in Tihar, Agra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, with families struggling even to meet them.
She further referred to AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s recent arrest in Jammu, noting that those who supported the abrogation of Article 370 are now facing its consequences. “He voted for its removal in 2019, claiming it was good for J&K. Today he has realised the reality,” she said.
Calling for immediate corrective measures, Mehbooba urged the Speaker to rise above politics. “An Assembly session must be called without delay, a debate held, and a resolution passed demanding Malik’s release. Such misuse of PSA against elected representatives must not become a precedent,” she said.
