Srinagar, Oct 23 (IANS) The National Conference (NC) MLAs on Thursday staged a silent protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, demanding the release of arrested Doda MLA, Mehraj Malik.

Before entering the Assembly to attend the autumn session, the NC MLAs staged a silent protest, demanding the release of the AAP MLA. Malik was arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for allegedly posing a threat to peace and law and order in Doda district.

The protesting MLAs carried placards saying ‘Free Mehraj Malik’, ‘Restore Doda’s Representation’. They maintained silence for several minutes as a mark of protest before addressing the media.

NC’s Chief Spokesperson, Tanvir Sadiq, said that the continued detention of Malik was unjustified and deprived the people of Doda of their rightful voice in the Legislative Assembly. “We demand the unconditional release of Mehraj Malik. He has been elected by the people of Doda, and they deserve representation in the House. His detention under PSA is undemocratic and goes against the spirit of public mandate”, the spokesperson said.

The NC leader added that the party had repeatedly raised the issue with the government but received no satisfactory response.

“If an elected representative is kept away from the House, it sends a wrong message about democracy in Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.

In its latest directive, the J&K and Ladakh High Court directed the authorities to ensure that Mehraj Malik was permitted to vote for the Rajya Sabha elections being held on Friday. Authorities later said the MLA would be provided a postal ballot to cast his vote in the Rajya Sabha polls.

Voting for four Rajya Sabha seats is being held here on Friday. All elected MLAs are eligible to cast their vote in this election. The NC has fielded four candidates for these seats while the BJP has fielded three, including the party’s J&K president, Sat Sharma.

–IANS

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