AAP leader says the party’s MLA in J&K Assembly, Mehraj Malik, has been wrongly booked under the Public Safety Act, vows to fight for his release
NEW DELHI — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has links with “retired terrorists” in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and its nationalism is only for show, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, has said.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital on Friday, the senior AAP leader claimed that the ruling party at the Centre is “an army of retired terrorists” as dozens of “terrorists trained in Pakistan” have been made its office-bearers in the region. He also claimed that BJP’s claim of normalcy in the union territory was nothing but hogwash.
Singh’s press conference followed his return from Srinagar where he was put under house arrest.
He claimed that he was set to release the list of these “retired terrorists” in Srinagar on Thursday, but BJP placed him under house arrest to stop it. He also highlighted that his party’s lone MLA in J&K Assembly, Mehraj Malik, has been wrongly booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), and affirmed that AAP will fight for from the streets to Parliament and the Supreme Court for his release.
“On 10th September, I went to Jammu & Kashmir to raise my voice in a democratic and constitutional way in the case of party MLA from Doda Mehraj Malik. When our National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal received the full details of how Mehraj Malik had been arrested unconstitutionally, disregarding the law, he sent me to speak up in his favour. Mehraj Malik is the only AAP MLA in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Singh said former Delhi minister and AAP in-charge in J&K Imran Hussain accompanied him during the visit.
“We held discussions with our karyakarta(s), joined their demonstration, addressed a press conference, and also met Mehraj Malik’s father and his family to understand the entire matter”, he added.
Pointing to the way BJP has handled the case, Sanjay Singh said, “The administration has prepared a novel straight out of old times. The administration run by Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah has written fictional stories against Mehraj Malik. As many as 18 FIRs have been registered against Malik. These FIRs are from 2014, 2016, 2021, 2023 and 2024. The police under PM Modi have used FIRs as old as 10–11 years as the basis to impose the PSA against an elected MLA.”
“Did the police forget about these FIRs for 11 years? Now the BJP wants to prove that Mehraj Malik is a big criminal, which is why the police have cited FIRs from 2014 till now to paint him as such. Among these, 7–8 cases were registered but the police never took any action,” he asserted.
Highlighting the gravity of the matter, the Rajya Sabha member pointed out, “In the history of Jammu & Kashmir, Mehraj Malik is the first MLA on whom PSA has been imposed. After understanding the case, Kejriwal directed us to fight for Mehraj Malik’s rights from the streets to Parliament. I was supposed to hold a demonstration and a press conference in Srinagar, but the police put me under house arrest in a guest house and did not allow me to meet anyone.”
Prime Minister Modi claims there is complete peace in Jammu & Kashmir. “A Member of Parliament and an MLA are not allowed to step outside a guest house, and no reason was even given for this. Even Farooq Abdullah, who has served several times as chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir and also as a Union Minister, came to meet me after learning about the house arrest, he was not allowed inside. We requested the officers that if I cannot go out, at least let Farooq Abdullah could come in. But he too was stopped, and not a single officer came inside,” he revealed.
On his treatment by the authorities, Sanjay Singh said, “The BJP’s police administration has turned Jammu & Kashmir into a joke. I was forced to stand at the gate and speak to Farooq Abdullah. This, even though his party currently runs the government in Jammu & Kashmir and his son is the chief minister there. From my own experience of what happened to me, I can understand how the BJP administration has prepared a false, baseless and fabricated case against Mehraj Malik. The BJP is the only party that is against him. Every other party has spoken in support of Mehraj Malik and opposed the imposition of PSA. Under this law, bail is not granted for a long time. PSA is meant for terrorists and hardened criminals.”
Referring to the allegations, he said, “The BJP administration has accused Mehraj Malik of doing Facebook Live sessions, where his words influence his two lakh followers. They have also alleged that his language is not proper. For bad language, why should the PSA be imposed?
Reading the allegations in the FIRs only makes one laugh. There is a five to six-year-old video of Mehraj Malik about Burhan Wani. The police never remembered it until now, but suddenly it has been twisted into an issue. Therefore, I want to introduce BJP’s retired terrorists, who currently hold or have held positions in the party in Jammu and Kashmir. The truth about the BJP, which pretends to be nationalist, must be known to the country. The BJP is a party of double standards.”
Reading out names from the list, Sanjay Singh said, “Abdul Rehman Lone is a Pakistan-trained terrorist. In 1990–91, Abdul Rehman Lone received terrorist training from Pakistan. The BJP described him as the most suitable and capable person and made him president of its Kupwara district unit. Fayaz Ahmad Najar is also a Pakistan-trained terrorist, whom the BJP made general secretary of Baramulla BJP.”
He continued, “Abdul Rehman Tikri was associated with the terrorist organisations Al-Barq and Al-Jihad. Later, after surrendering, the BJP made him president of its Bandipora district unit. Despite working in two terrorist organisations, Abdul Rehman Tikri was described by the BJP as the most suitable person. Abdul Majeed Mir is a Pakistan-trained terrorist who received training in 1990. PM Modi’s BJP made him a councillor and vice-chairman of the Ganderbal Municipal Committee.”
Continuing with the list, Sanjay Singh said, “Similarly, Basharat Majeed Mir received terrorist training in Pakistan in 2001, and BJP made him media head of its Kupwara district unit. They thought he was the best person for them because he had received training in Pakistan. Ghulam Mohiuddin Sufi, a locally trained terrorist, was made president of BJP’s Baramulla district unit and member of the State Working Committee. Javid Ahmad Mir, also a retired terrorist, is now vice president of BJP’s Kisan Morcha in Kupwara district. Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh, a Pakistan-trained terrorist, has contested district panchayat elections on a BJP ticket.”
Naming more such cases, he said, “The BJP made Gulzar Ahmad Malik, a Pakistan-trained terrorist, president of its Minority Morcha in Kupwara district. In the 1990s, Farooq Ahmad Khan, another Pakistan-trained terrorist, contested elections for the Srinagar Municipal Corporation on a BJP ticket. Mohammad Ashraf Hajam, a locally trained terrorist, is currently among BJP’s Muslim members in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“A photo of Lashkar terrorist Talib Hussain Shah even exists with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Talib Hussain Shah is the IT Cell head of BJP Minority Morcha. The BJP already knew that I was going to reveal this list of retired terrorists at a press conference in Srinagar on Thursday. That is exactly why my press conference was stopped,” he asserted.
Sanjay Singh concluded by saying, “The reality is that for BJP, there is no nationalism and no country. They are ready to accept anyone into their party. Only Dawood Ibrahim has yet to join the BJP. They have no hesitation in including anyone, but they question the patriotism of others.”
