Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC) chairman Sajad Lone on Monday reacted sharply to a senior journalist’s remarks questioning his inaction on the Public Safety Act (PSA) during his tenure as a minister in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir government.
Responding tojournalist’s post on X, Lone said that while he accepts his limited share of responsibility, it is unfair to blame him for a law that he neither introduced nor had the power to repeal.
“First I plead guilty of admiring you as a journalist. Right from the days when you would be on TV, you stood out. So let the knives not come out,” Lone began in a conciliatory tone, before addressing the criticism.
He noted that during his tenure of two and a half years as a minister, his political influence was minimal. “I will take my share of blame if there is any for being a minister for 2.5 years. And I had one more MLA. That too little to change a law as horrendous as PSA,” Lone said.
In a detailed post, Lone urged for an objective discussion on the origins and misuse of the Public Safety Act, asserting that those who introduced and extensively used the law should be held accountable. “Let us objectively talk about who scripted and introduced PSA. Who used it with impunity. Who could have actually repealed it. How many were jailed under PSA. Trust me that part is indefensible. So let my favourite journalist not defend the indefensible,” he wrote.
The JKPC chief also compared the police verification certificate process to the PSA, describing both as major issues impacting the lives of common people in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lone concluded his post by appealing to Chaturvedi to use her wide reach to highlight these concerns. “I really hope that given your reach is vast on different platforms, you will espouse these causes,” he said.
Earlier, the seiour lady journalist had responded to Lone’s post questioning his inaction during his tenure as a BJP-supported minister, despite now raising strong criticism of the PSA. [KNT]
