Malik, who argued from Tihar jail, maintained before the tribunal during the hearing that he was drawn into believing that an armed struggle was the only way to fulfil and realise the aspirations of the Kashmiri youth, in particular the Kashmiri population. The reply from Malik recorded by the tribunal delves into how, after a while, Malik purportedly gave up armed struggle in favour of a 'Gandhian' way of resistance to the perceived Indian occupation/domination of Jammu & Kashmir.