Says “Untold Suffering Could Have Been Prevented”; Claims Over 20,000 Detained Without Trial
Srinagar, Oct 18: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday launched a scathing attack on successive Jammu and Kashmir governments for their continued enforcement of the Public Safety Act (PSA), accusing them of perpetuating injustice and human rights abuses over decades.
Owaisi pointed out that the PSA, originally introduced in 1978 by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to combat smuggling, has since been misused by nearly every Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir — including Farooq Abdullah, G. M. Shah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti.
“All these Chief Ministers had the power to repeal the PSA, yet they chose not to. Countless people could have been spared immense suffering,” Owaisi remarked, calling the law’s legacy “a stain on democratic governance.”
Citing figures, Owaisi claimed that more than 20,000 individuals have been detained under the PSA without formal charges or fair trials. He noted that many remained imprisoned for years — in some cases between seven and twelve years — only to be later released on bail or court orders when the same individuals became politically useful.
“Now, as we see a limited elected government functioning again, there seems to be a delayed realization of the need to abolish this draconian law,” he said, emphasizing that decades of inaction have caused irreparable damage.
Concluding his remarks with an Urdu couplet, Owaisi reflected on the regret of delayed awakening:
“Sab kuch luta ke hosh mein aaye to kya kiya,
Din mein agar chiragh jalaye to kya kiya.”
The statement reignites the debate over the PSA’s future and its long-standing impact on civil liberties in Jammu and Kashmir.
