Opposition parties demand release of 3 former J&K Chief Ministers

Srinagar : Opposition parties have sent a joint statement to the Central government, demanding the immediate release of all political detainees in Kashmir, including the three former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir — Farooq and Omar Abdullah of National Conference (NC) and Mehbooba Mufti of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The leaders continue to be in detention since August, 2019, when the Centre abrogated Article 370 and stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have been detained under the stringent Public Security Act.

Under the Narendra Modi government, “democratic dissent is being muzzled by coercive administrative action, which has threatened the basic ideals of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as enshrined in our Constitution,” the statement read.

“There are growing assaults on democratic norms, fundamental rights and civic liberties of citizens,” the statement by Opposition leaders said. “As a result, dissent is not only being stifled, but the avenues of raising critical voices are also being systematically muted.”

“Nothing exemplifies this more starkly than the continuing detention on flimsiest of grounds of three former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers for over seven months,” the statement added.

“There is nothing in the past records of these three leaders to lend credence to the Modi government’s false and self-serving claim that they pose a threat to ‘public safety’ in J&K or that they have endangered national interests with their activities,” the leaders said in the statement.

Senior NC leader Akbar Lone had earlier said that the detention of these leaders has created a “dangerous vacuum” reversing all the gains of the past two decades in Kashmir.

Sara Abdullah Pilot, the sister of Omar Abdullah, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the release of the former chief minister.

The Centre has released various leaders from the Valley in phases, but the three ex-CMs are still under detention. Three leaders of NC and one leader of the PDP were released in February this year, almost six months after they were put under detention. The NC’s Abdul Majeed Larmi, Ghulam Nabi Bhat and Mohd Shafi were released from the MLA Hostel in Srinagar by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.