Jammu, Oct 23: The opening session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Thursday witnessed heated moments as National Conference (NC) legislators Tanvir Sadiq and Hilal Akbar Lone strongly raised the issue of the continued detention of MLA Doda, Mehraj Malik, under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
Seeking the Speaker’s permission to initiate a discussion, the two NC lawmakers argued that Malik’s incarceration amounted to an affront to democratic values and deprived the people of Doda of their rightful representation in the Assembly. “The people of Doda have chosen their representative. He must be allowed to take part in the Assembly proceedings and raise the issues of his constituency,” they asserted.
However, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather disallowed the discussion, clarifying that the House had convened initially to pay homage to members and prominent personalities who had passed away since the last session. He asked the legislators to raise the matter at an appropriate stage later in the proceedings.
Malik, an elected MLA from Doda, remains jailed under the PSA — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who claim that the government’s actions are undermining the essence of representative democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, NC Chief Spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq reiterated the demand for Malik’s immediate and unconditional release. “This is about the sanctity of our democratic institutions. An elected MLA cannot serve his people from behind bars,” Sadiq said.
Hilal Akbar Lone echoed similar sentiments, calling the detention “undemocratic and unjustified.” He urged the government to “respect constitutional principles and allow every elected member to perform his duties without intimidation or restraint.”
The issue is expected to resurface when the House resumes political business later in the session, with the opposition likely to mount further pressure on the government over Malik’s detention.
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