Farooq Abdullah was freed from detention under the Public Safety Act
New Delhi:
Political leaders on Friday welcomed the revocation of the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) imposed on National Conference patron and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah.
While Mr Abdullah's party, the National Conference (NC), termed his release a "step in the right direction towards restoring genuine political process in Jammu and Kashmir", former union minister and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said he welcomed Mr Abdullah's "belated release".
"…I hope he will soon resume his rightful place on the front bench of the Lok Sabha, where he can address with his usual compelling vigour the issues facing his state and the state of the nation. His detention was a disgrace," Mr Tharoor tweeted.
Welcome the belated release of Dr Farooq Abdullah. I hope he will soon resume his rightful place on the front bench of the Lok Sabha, where he can address with his usual compelling vigour the issues facing his state & the state of the nation. His detention was a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/TnCR2BZ04x
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 13, 2020
Iltija Mufti, daughter of incarcerated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, demanded the release of all those detained following revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
"Time to release all detainees including thousands of young men languishing in jails outside J&K. This has gone on for far too long & must end now," Ms Mufti tweeted.
Days ago, eight opposition parties sent a joint resolution to the BJP-led government, demanding the immediate release of all political detainees in Kashmir. 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 resolution read.
Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said Mr Abdullah's release was long overdue. "The imposition of PSA on and detention of Dr Farooq Abdullah was illegal, undemocratic and unconstitutional. We have all been concerned about his health and well-being…" Mr Yechury said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said she prayed for the long life of Mr Abdullah and hoped that the other two former chief ministers — Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti — will soon be released and "allowed to join the democratic process immediately."
The government today revoked the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) against Mr Abdullah, a five-time parliamentarian and a member of the Lok Sabha, with immediate effect. He was kept under preventive detention since August 5 last year, the day the centre scrapped special status to Jammu and Kashmir. He was the first chief minister against whom the PSA was invoked.
With inputs from PTI
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