Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday slammed the arrest of former High Court Bar Association (HCBA) president and restriction on polls of lawyers body calling it a “brazen violation of democratic principles & the fundamental right to association.”
Senior advocate and former Bar Association president Mian Qayoom, was arrested on Tuesday by the J&K’s Police’s Special Investigation Agency (SIA) in connection with the 2020 killing of advocate Babar Qadri.
Hours after Qayoom’s arrest, the government authorities imposed restrictions on conduct of elections for HCBA in Srinagar under section 144 criminal procedure code (CrPC), citing its alleged “secessionist ideology”.
“The ban on JKHCBA elections based on unsubstantiated allegations of secessionist ideology is a brazen violation of democratic principles & the fundamental right to association,” the Peoples Democratic Party president said in a post on X.
“Preceded by the arrest of former HCBA President Mian Qayoom it is a concerted attempt to silent any & all forms of dissent. A pattern that we have seen repeated often since August 2019. There has been a vicious crackdown on every element & organisation of J&K’s civil society to instil a sense of fear,” she added.
Mufti demanded an immediate and thorough explanation as well as rationale for both the election ban and Qayoom’s arrest to ensure justice is done.
