Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti seeks release of Doda MLA and detainees in Hazratbal incident

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10 (STC): Former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to release those detained in connection with the Hazratbal shrine incident. She has also pitched for the release of sitting Doda MLA Mehraj Malik who was slapped PSA and put under detention in Kathua jail.
The PDP Chief while speaking to media said, “PSA is not warranted for a people’s representative even if he has used some offensive language against government officials. Such arrests erode democracy and restrict people from expressing themselves.”
She alleged that the arrest of Mehraj Malik was aimed at diverting public attention from the Hazratbal shrine incident. “The sitting MLA has been detained simply to shift focus. This approach is not democratic,” she said.
She quoted Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, “where restrictions on people’s voices led to serious consequences”.
(Straight Talk Communications)