Political leaders are being threatened with PSA: Iltija

Iltija Mufti, daughter of former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday alleged that political leaders under detention in Kashmir have not approached courts because the government has threatened them with the Public Safety Act (PSA) if they do so.

“As Union government’s facade of normalcy in Kashmir begins to crumble, I’d like to throw light on some facts. Political detainees haven’t challenged their detention because they have been threatened with the PSA if they approach the courts,” a tweet from the official twitter handle of PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti said.

A pinned tweet of the account said that the handle is now operated by Iltija with ‘due authorisation’ after the former CM was detained and lodged in a hut at Cheshma Shahi having no access to the account. Mehbooba along with 50 other leaders, including member of the Parliament, Farooq Abdullah, and NC vicepresident Omar Abdullah were put in detention in the early hours of August 5, when all communication channels were suspended, roads blocked and travel restricted after the Centre revoked J&K special status and split the region into two UTs. Hundreds of others including youth, trade leaders, lawyers and separatists were also detained. The PSA was recently slapped by the administration on Farooq Abdullah and his house turned into a sub-jail after a habeas corpus petition was filed by the MDMK chief Vaiko in the Supreme Court on September 16. On the next date of hearing, the court on September 30 then dismissed the petition taking note of the PSA order on Farooq and said that Vaiko was at liberty to challenge the PSA order before appropriate authority.