Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday urged the upcoming Assembly session to hold in-depth discussions on key issues, including the alleged misuse of the Public Safety Act (PSA), the decline in tourism, and the losses suffered by the horticulture sector, reported the ANI.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mufti questioned the delay in reopening a key highway that has remained closed since early September, impacting fruit growers and farmers. “Who is responsible for the losses of farmers? Will there be a package to compensate them? Will the kisan loans be waived? These are the matters that must be discussed in the assembly,” she said.
Highlighting the impact of the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, she said the tourism industry has been in decline, leaving many dependent families in despair.
On the issue of PSA, Mufti criticized the detention of MLA Mehraj Malik under the Act for alleged unparliamentary remarks, warning that ordinary citizens face far worse consequences. She called on the Omar Abdullah-led government to extend legal aid to poor detainees who cannot challenge their detention in court.
Mufti also pressed for the chief minister to raise the issue of jailed separatist leader Mohammad Yasin Malik, who, she pointed out, renounced violence based on assurances from government officials in the 1990s. “It is not just about Yasin Malik. It is about the credibility of promises made by the government. Breaking those assurances is damaging for J&K, the country, and internationally,” she said.
She further urged National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and former RAW chief A. S. Dulat to clarify Malik’s claims made in his affidavit before the Delhi High Court. “You persuaded him to abandon militancy and adopt peaceful ways. Now using his past against him is unjust,” she remarked.
