Mehraj Malik released after 8 months, urges youth to join politics

Srinagar: Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Jammu and Kashmir's Doda, Mehraj Malik, on Tuesday said that even though political space is shrinking in the country, youngsters must understand that change is not possible without political engagement.

Mehraj was released from Kathua jail on Tuesday morning after spending around eight months in detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA). The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on Monday quashed his detention.

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"Our struggle will continue. It will not change. This is not a struggle rooted in politics alone, but in a pro-people ideology and the pursuit of public welfare," Malik told reporters. He was received by party workers and supporters outside the jail and later travelled to his residence in Jammu, where he was welcomed with bursting crackers and dhol beats.

"I am alone right now. I want the youth to join politics. Only politics can change the fate of the people and this country. The space may be shrinking and challenging for a newcomer like me, but there is no alternative... The Almighty owns the world, and the world is run by politicians... even wars are stopped because of political intervention," he said.

Malik, who represents the Doda constituency, was booked and arrested under the PSA in September 2025 following his sharp criticism of then Doda District Magistrate Harvinder Singh, who later invoked the PSA against him.