A heated exchange unfolded between AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA), with Owaisi sharply questioning Abdullah’s recent remarks on its removal. The debate highlights lingering political tensions surrounding the decades-old law and governance in the region.
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Owaisi Challenges Abdullah On Statehood And PSA Repeal
The confrontation comes after Omar Abdullah stated that his government plans to scrap the PSA via an ordinance, linking the move to the restoration of statehood. “To remove it, we must have statehood. Security, law and order, all these things should be under the control of the elected government. The day these things are ours, I won’t even wait for the assembly session,” Abdullah said during a media interaction in Srinagar.
He also reaffirmed his party’s commitment: “We said in the manifesto that we would remove the Public Safety and Security Act (PSA) from Jammu and Kashmir.”
Owaisi, however, was quick to criticise the J&K CM, pointing out the long-standing misuse of PSA. “PSA was introduced by Sheikh Abdullah, Omar’s grandfather, to curb smuggling in the erstwhile state,” Owaisi noted. He further highlighted that successive governments have used the law to detain political leaders and separatists, with over 20,000 people jailed since 1978.
Historical Misuse And Human Rights Concerns
The Public Safety Act, 1978 (PSA) was introduced by Sheikh Abdullah in 1978 to deal with smuggling. Farooq Abdullah, G. M. Shah,Mufti Sayeed, GN Azad, Omar Abdullah & Mehbooba Mufti have all been CMs of J&K. They could have easily repealed PSA & prevented untold… https://t.co/7qwoZr3NnV
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) October 18, 2025
Owaisi’s pointed critique emphasised that repeated administrations could have repealed the PSA to prevent prolonged suffering and human rights violations. “Some detentions were extended for up to 7-12 years. One separatist was detained under the PSA and, when he was later needed, he was served with a court warrant and granted bail,” the Hyderabad MP stated on X (formerly Twitter). He concluded his post with a poetic jibe: “Sab kuch luta ke hosh mein aaye to kya kiya… Din mein agar chiragh jalaye to kya kiya.”
The PSA allows authorities to detain individuals for up to two years without trial. Initially aimed at combating timber smuggling in 1978, it later became a tool to detain political figures and individuals deemed a threat to law and order, particularly during the militancy surge in the early 1990s.
Among recent high-profile detentions is AAP MLA Mehraj Malik, currently held in Kathua district jail since September 8, 2025. Malik was allegedly involved in disturbing public order in Doda district and reportedly used abusive language against the district’s deputy commissioner. His detention underscores the continued relevance and controversy of the PSA in J&K politics.
