Five more political leaders released in J&K after over five months detention

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration on Thursday released five politicians including three former legislators after keeping them in preventive detention for more than five months following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.

The leaders who were released include Altaf Kaloo (ex-MLA National Conference), Showkat Ganaie (ex-MLC National Conference) and Nizamuddin Bhat (ex-MLC PDP). Former mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation Salman Sagar (National Conference) and Mukhtar Bandh (PDP) were also released.

In November, former J&K ministers Ashraf Mir and Hakeem Yasin were released from the MLA Hostel where they were detained. Two other political leaders – Dilawar Mir and Ghulam Hassan Mir – too were released.

In October, Yawar Nir, Noor Mohammed and Shoiab Lone were released after the signing of a bond explaining the reasons for ending of their detention.

While Mir is a former MLA of the PDP, Lone, who contested unsuccessfully on a Congress ticket from North Kashmir and later resigned from the party, was a close associate to People's Conference chief Sajjad Lone. Noor Mohammed was a National Conference worker who has been managing the party's show in the militancy-infested Batmaloo area of the Srinagar city.

More than a thousand people, including politicians, separatists, activists and lawyers, were detained after the August 5 decision of the Central government to abrogate the special status. Over 250 were sent to the jails outside Jammu and Kashmir. Most were detained under different sections of the criminal procedure code.

Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was in November shifted from a guest house in Chashme Shahi to a government accommodation on MA Road, while another former CM, Farooq Abdullah, who was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act, continues to remain under detention at his own house since August 5.

Farooq Abdullah's son and former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah continues to be in detention at the Hari Niwas state guest house here.

(With inputs from agencies)