Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Sep 23: Advisor to the Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, on Tuesday said the Public Safety Act (PSA) should not have been invoked against Doda legislator Mehraj Malik. He said the issue will be raised in the upcoming Assembly session in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters here, Wani said that the government has already made it clear that such a law should not have been applied in this case. “He (MLA Doda) was only pressing for better medical facilities in his constituency. The matter should have been resolved through dialogue, not through detention under the PSA,” he said.
He added that the detention of the MLA will be a key point of discussion during the upcoming Assembly session, scheduled to begin on October 13.
Responding to statements made by opposition leaders, Wani said the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has asked the central government to take over maintenance of the National Highway (NH) if they are unable to maintain it properly.
“It is clear that the National Highway does not fall under the jurisdiction of the elected government, yet the blame is being put on us. Similarly, law & order is not under our jurisdiction either, but again, we are being blamed. The opposition should understand these facts before making misleading statements,” he said.
The CM’s Advisor further accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of maintaining friendly ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reacting to a recent meeting between a PDP leader and the Lieutenant Governor, he said, “They seem keen on keeping their ties intact with the BJP. I don’t understand what they are crying about.”
Commenting on the economic situation, he said the tourism sector has suffered significantly since the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, and so have the transport and business sectors. “Transporters who are unable to pay their monthly instalments due to the post-April situation should be granted some relief for at least a few months,” he suggested.
Wani added that recent floods have caused heavy losses to fruit growers and called for adequate compensation to be provided to them.
