Fax Pas

I did not have a cook, let alone a fax operator.

November 22, 2018

Context: Malik had assumed charge as the governor of J&K in August 2018. On November 21, the PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti faxed him a letter staking claim to jointly form the state government with the National Conference, aided by the Congress. Between the three, they had 56 of 87 seats. Malik dissolved the Assembly that day and later claimed that no one had been there to receive the fax sent to his office on Id-e-Milad, a state holiday.

Abrogation of Article 370

Only rumour mongering is going on.

To ANI on August 3, 2019

Context: He was referring to the general buzz that the Centre would be abrogating Article 370 and 35A. The "rumour mongers" were proved correct on August 5

On persecution of journalists

Ye sab bakwaas hai.

In the 2023 interview with The Wire

Context: He was responding to Kashmir Times's editor Anuradha Bhasin's article in The New York Times about the August 2019 clampdown on journalists in J&K and their routine harassment by the police during Malik's tenure as governor

On the Northeast

Northeast settled tha, inhone disturb kar diya.

In the October 2023 interview with Rahul Gandhi

Context: Malik sought to put the blame on Modi and the chief minister Biren Singh for the Manipur violence. Malik said in the same interview that his posting as governor of Meghalaya, which ended in October 2022, had been a punishment for speaking up against the BJP's "corruption" in Goa. After his J&K assignment, Malik had served as governor of Goa and then Meghalaya.

On Pulwama

CRPF people had asked for aircraft to ferry their people because such a big convoy never goes by road. The home ministry refused. I told the Prime Minister about this.... He asked me to keep quiet.

In an interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire in 2023

Context: The Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019, where a suicide bomber blew up a convoy of CRPF personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, killing 40 personnel. Malik, who was still the J&K governor, had said nothing at the time of the massacre.

On Modi

He is ill-informed.... He does not know anything about the real problems of Kashmir.

In an interview with The Wire in 2023

On Rahul

He has behaved like a political juvenile.

In his first news conference after the announcement of the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. In October 2023, he gave a long interview to Rahul

On Amit Shah

He said to me: 'Satya Pal, he (Modi) has been misguided by some people."

At a public meeting in Haryana in January 2022

Context: He was describing Narendra Modi's handling of the farmers' protest and his attitude. In the 2023 interview with The Wire, Malik retracted this statement and even admitted that he had been lying

On the offensive against BBC

In my eyes it was wrong. Such restrictions should not be placed. BBC is a respected organisation.

In the 2023 interview with The Wire

Context: He was commenting on the government's order to online platforms in January 2023 to block India: The Modi Question, a BBC documentary critical of the Prime Minister