Diplomat Correspondent
Srinagar,(DD) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and workers on Monday staged a strong protest in Srinagar against the continued use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA), calling the measures “draconian laws” that have devastated Kashmiri families.
The protest, led by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, saw party members carrying placards and raising slogans of “Bail, not jail” and “Stop arbitrary detentions.”
Addressing the media during the demonstration, Mehbooba Mufti said, “The youth of Kashmir are being slapped with UAPA and PSA for the smallest of reasons. These draconian laws are not meant to reform but to silence. We cannot allow a whole generation to be pushed into despair.”
She further demanded that Kashmiri prisoners lodged in jails outside the Union Territory be shifted back to Jammu and Kashmir. “Our children are locked up in far-off prisons where their families cannot even afford to visit them. I urge Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up this issue with the Union Home Minister and ensure that these prisoners are brought back to J&K,” she said.
Mehbooba also warned that the misuse of such laws would only deepen alienation. “Peace cannot come through prisons and punishment. It can only come through dialogue, justice, and dignity,” she added.
The PDP protest briefly disrupted traffic in parts of Srinagar, with police deploying additional personnel to maintain order(DD)