Srinagar, Sep 13, KNT: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed Para on Friday urged Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather to defend legislators as the custodian of the House, saying the credibility of the institution was at stake.
His remarks came after the Speaker issued a show-cause notice to him for a social media post in which Para claimed that the Assembly Secretariat had endorsed the detention of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
“If the speaker’s office doesn’t defend an elected member, it sets a dangerous precedent. The issue is not about one individual but the institution, the last space left to represent J-K’s citizens,” Para said. He added that instead of faulting his concern, the Speaker should have supported it.
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Para, who described Abdul Rahim Rather as a “fatherly figure,” said he has nothing personal against him. “During Assembly sessions, I learnt a lot from the way he conducted the House, upheld diversity and accommodated voices. But as the custodian, actions to protect the legislators are equally important,” he remarked.
The Speaker, taking note of Para’s post on X after Malik’s arrest on Monday, served him a notice asking why breach of privilege or contempt proceedings should not be initiated for making a “false” claim that the Assembly Secretariat had endorsed the detention. Para has been directed to explain his position in person or in writing within seven days.
In his post on X, Para had written: “Shameful surrender. The Assembly Secretariat endorsing PSA against an elected MLA is a direct assault on democracy. J&K CM @OmarAbdullah must act, don’t allow the institution of MLA, the last agency of the people, to be silenced. Today it’s Mehraj, tomorrow it could be you.”
The controversy comes at a time when the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik has already triggered widespread criticism from political and civil society circles. [KNT]
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