Indian Muslim body slams arrest of Kashmiri MLA under draconian PSA in IIOJK
New Delhi: The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, an umbrella body of Muslim organizations and prominent individuals in India, has strongly condemned the arrest of Mehraj-ud-Din Malik, a legislator from Doda district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA).
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement, acting president of the Majlis, Naveed Hamid, described the arrest as “painful and shameful”, stressing that detaining an elected representative under PSA was a direct assault on democratic values.
“The use of PSA, which Amnesty International has termed a draconian law, is the first such instance against an elected representative after the abrogation of Article 370. This shows utter disregard for democratic principles in [occupied] Jammu and Kashmir,” Hamid said.
He also censured the IIOJK Waqf Board’s controversial decision to install the Indian emblem inside the Hazratbal shrine mosque in Sringar, calling it “unprecedented and provocative”. Hamid noted that there was no precedent of placing the emblem inside a mosque or any other place of worship in any religion, and warned that such an action had understandably deeply angered the Muslim community in Kashmir.
The Majlis leader further criticized Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi, a BJP leader, for branding protestors as “terrorists,” threatening to ban them from the shrine, and pressing for their detention under PSA. He called such remarks and actions inflammatory and irresponsible.
