Srinagar: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti Saturday urged Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to call a special session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to condemn the detention of AAP’s Doda MLA Mehraj Malik, saying a resolution can put pressure on the Centre to release the legislator and protect all members from future targeting, while as former MLA Kupwara and Chief Spokesperson of the J&K Peoples Conference Advocate Bashir Ahmad Dar has written a letter to the Speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly, raising alarm over what he described as “systematic assault” on the very institution of MLA.
.”I urge Hon’ble Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to call a special Assembly session to condemn the PSA & arrest of MLA Mehraj Malik. A resolution can put pressure on Central government to release Mehraj Malik & protect all MLAs from future targeting,” Mufti said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, former MLA Kupwara and Chief Spokesperson of the J&K Peoples Conference Advocate Bashir Ahmad Dar has written a strongly worded letter to the Speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly, raising alarm over what he described as “systematic assault” on the very institution of MLA.
In the letter, Adv. Bashir expressed deep concern over the arrest of sitting MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and recalled the “unprecedented and shameful” physical assault on Malik inside the Assembly premises.
“The institution of MLA is being rapidly eroded. As someone who has been an MLA myself, it pains me to see this decline. The arrest of a sitting legislator under PSA is not just about one individual — it is a question of the Assembly’s dignity. The Speaker has a duty to step outside the box and safeguard the sanctity of this institution,” he wrote.
Malik, who is also chief of AAP’s J&K unit, was detained on Monday under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly disturbing public order and was lodged in Kathua jail. His detention sparked violent protests, leading authorities to impose prohibitory restrictions and snap mobile internet and broadband services.
Mufti said Malik needs a strong political stand expressed through the assembly.
“Also, CM @OmarAbdullah should extend legal aid to thousands of poor Kashmiris languishing in jails across India. They need it the most. Mehraj can fight his legal battle; what he needs is a strong political stand expressed through assembly,” the PDP president added.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, the former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J&K said only condemnations and no action have been taken in the last few days.
“The Speaker and Abdullah should have taken notice of the incident, and the Speaker should have convened a special session of the assembly where it would have been discussed how a sitting MLA can be booked under PSA over an allegation of using foul language,” she said.
She added that a resolution should have been passed in the assembly and sent to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying such actions will not be tolerated.
“It would have created a pressure for Malik’s release and in future, the Central government would think 100 times before invoking PSA against any MLA. But it did not happen,” Mufti said.
About the meeting between Malik’s father and Abdullah, the PDP chief said Malik’s family had hoped that the CM with a decisive mandate would put pressure on the Centre to release the jailed MLA.
“His father had not met Abdullah for legal help. He had hopes that Abdullah, who has 50 MLAs, three MPs, will call a session and put pressure on the Government of India that the people of Kashmir, their elected representatives, and their chief minister, will not tolerate this excess,” she said.
Referring to the show-cause notice issued to PDP MLA from Pulwama Waheed Para, Mufti said rather than trying to shoot the messenger, the Speaker should have convened a special session of the assembly to discuss Malik’s detention.
“If the Speaker wants to settle scores with the PDP, let him do that, but convene the assembly session. Hold a discussion, pass a resolution, so that such actions are not taken against our MLAs in the future,” she added.
The Speaker has issued a show-cause notice to Para for his social media post claiming that the Assembly secretariat had endorsed the detention of the AAP MLA.
Urging CM Abdullah to visit Doda to assess the ground situation, Mufti said people there were facing problems.
She also appealed for the release of youth detained in the aftermath of protests in Doda.
Meanwhile, PC Cheif Spokesperson stressed that while the Assembly may not directly control the Home Department but nothing prevents it from taking a stand. “Disapproval by the Legislature is disapproval by the masses. It is imperative that such disapproval is voiced unambiguously,” he added.
He also reminded the Speaker that Malik had earlier been physically attacked inside the Assembly premises. “For the first time since 1947, non-MLAs assaulted an MLA inside the premises of the J&K Legislature. Shockingly, no punitive measures were taken. This was not a scuffle during proceedings, but a calculated assault outside session hours, a historic violation of legislative sanctity,” he wrote.
He questioned the Speaker’s silence on both issues, calling it “disheartening” and “a dangerous precedent” urging him to order an investigation into how non-MLAs gained access to the Assembly premises to assault a sitting legislator, and why no accountability followed.
Drawing a line between political disagreements and targeted violence, Advocate Bashir said: “There is a world of difference between heated exchanges during a session and a cowardly, vicious attack on a lone MLA when the House is not in progress. If we fail to uphold our dignity, we cannot expect others to treat us with dignity.”
Defending Malik, Adv. Bashir suggested his grassroots rise was the reason behind the targeting. “Had he been an elitist, establishment-driven politician, nobody would have dared lay a finger on him or slap PSA against him,” he wrote.
He expressed hope that the Speaker would act with proportionality and firmness, ensuring that the Legislative Assembly does not lose its sheen, stressing that this institution must never be allowed to crumble.
