India, Sept. 4 -- Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik, who is currently lodged in Central Jail No 7, Tihar, has purportedly read the writing on the wall.

Malik reportedly triggered a furore by submitting before the Srinagar court that he no longer wishes to contest the trial in the 1990 murder case of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat and is willing to face the death penalty. Pleading not guilty, Malik has also announced his decision to divorce his Pakistani wife, artist and activist Mushaal Hussein Mullick.

Malik submitted a 25-page written statement before the Additional Sessions Court in Srinagar through his lawyer, Abu Adil Pandit. The court has scheduled the next hearing for September 19.

In his statement, M...