“I have had an opportunity of meeting the deputation on behalf of the All-Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Committee and I deeply regret that the Kashmir Government should have thought it fit to ban the annual session of the Conference.
“It is opposed to the elementary principles of Liberty. The people have every right to meet in a peaceful manner and express and ventilate their grievance and criticize the policy and actions of any civilized Government.
“It is regrettable that the foremost leader of the Conference should have been arrested and detained without any trial and from all accounts that I have received, the Prime Minister Mr. Kak, and the Government are pursuing a policy of suppressing free expression of opinion resorting to unjustifiable methods of terrorism and gagging free expression of opinion on the eve of the coming elections.
I therefore, appeal to the Maharaja to interfere in the matter immediately and allow the forthcoming elections to be free and fair and release all the detenus and see that effect has been given to the spirit and the letter of such reforms as he has already introduced”.
