Invoking of Public Safety Act (PSA), this time, against two former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti and three other political leaders a couple of days before their detention was to end, indicates that the union government is not going to relent over the security situation well within the grip. While another former chief minister and Omar's father Dr. Farooq Abdullah was already detained under PSA at his home at Gupkar road. The recent developments in the matter of government's dealing with the political leaders in Kashmir clearly shows that the centre is in no mood to take any chance to loosen the control over the political and security situation in Kashmir valley and it will deal with stringent measures in days to come. It can also be safely presumed that the Back-channel diplomacy, if any in place, to persuade these leaders to accept the new realities of J&K and fall in line might have failed leaving few options before the centre.
While the pleas given in the dossiers for invoking PSA against Omar and Mehbooba may be funny and flimsy, however, the action taken seems as a part of the Centre's plan to maintain order in the State which is now converted into a Union territory after Article 370 bestowing special status on the territory was revoked. Contrary to the hype created with their provocative statements, these political leaders had little heft with the Kashmir masses.
That they had amassed huge fortunes over the years was known widely and people at large were well aware of the arrogance of these politicians and rampant corruption under various regimes. That there has been no visible support for them is testimony to their alienation.
However, sensing them as potential threat to peace, the decision to detain them under PSA has been to “prevent breach of peace” and has been taken despite demands by Opposition leaders to release them. The Jammu and Kashmir PSA Act of 1978 allows the government to detain a person for up to two years without trial. The detainees are not required to be produced in court but their detention is subject to quashing by the superior courts if the ground put forth by the government. It will not be surprising if soon few petitions would be filed in either the J&K High Court or in Supreme Court for quashing their detentions.
The State administration since the territory is under Central rule, has to appoint an advisory board which can order two years detention in a case involving security of state. Evidently, these leaders will have to cool their heels. That the recent budget has allocated a fair amount to the territory is an index that the Centre is looking at a carrot and stick approach towards the Kashmir valley.
