Overview

• Omar Abdullah said his government will revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s Public Safety Act immediately by ordinance once statehood is restored and security powers are vested in the elected administration.
• Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the pledge, arguing that successive J&K leaders misused the PSA and claiming more than 20,000 people have been jailed under it since 1978.
• The PSA was enacted in 1978 to curb timber smuggling and later used against separatists, allowing administrative detention for up to two years without trial.
• The law’s current use remains contentious, with AAP MLA Mehraj Malik detained since September 8 in Kathua jail under the PSA over alleged public order violations.
• Abdullah questioned the BJP’s stance on restoring statehood and ruled out any alliance with the party, citing the fallout from the 2015 PDP-BJP tie-up.