Mehbooba Mufti, president of the PDP, stated on Saturday that the case of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik must be reexamined because even prime minister assassins are pardoned in a democracy like India.
Her remarks came a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) called for the separatist leader, who was given a life sentence by a Delhi court in a terror funding case last year, to be executed.
Mehbooba also lashed out at Altaf Bukhari, a former cabinet member and member of her party, claiming that those cheering for Malik's hanging posed a serious threat to "our collective rights."
Bukhari, the leader of Apni Party, said impediment measures ought to be taken against those attempting to undermine the nation's security.
"In a democracy like India where even the assassins of a PM were pardoned, the case of a political prisoner like Yasin Malik must be reviewed and reconsidered. The new political ikhwan gleefully supporting his hanging are a grave threat to our collective rights," Mehbooba said on Twitter.
The investidation agency NIA on Friday moved toward the Delhi High Court looking for capital punishment for the Kashmiri separatist leader, declaring that not giving the death penalty to such a "dreaded terrorist" will result in the miscarriage of justice.
The NIA's plea is scheduled to be heard by a bench composed of Justices Talwant Singh and Siddharth Mridul on May 29.
"NIA's plea demanding the death penalty for Yasin Malik highlights the urgency to address militant funding in Jammu and Kashmir.
We must ensure justice prevails and deterrent measures should be taken against those who are trying to threaten our nation's security," Bukhari wrote on Twitter.
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