Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Feb 8: Authorities today booked People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senior leader, Naeem Akhtar, under Public Safety Act (PSA) taking the number of detainees under the law to six while two National Conference (NC) leaders after remaining in detention for six months were released today.
The former Education Minister, Akhtar, was shifted from MLA hostel Sub-Jail in Srinagar to M-5 Gupkar in Srinagar after he was booked under PSA early today. He was very close to Mehbooba Mufti and her father and former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Two days ago NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and senior PDP leader, Sartaj Madni were booked under PSA and shifted to M-5 Gupkar. Madni is uncle of Mufti and was very close to her when she was Chief Minister.
With the booking of Akhtar under PSA so far, six NC and PDP leaders have been booked under PSA. The first to be booked under PSA was former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah. Two days ago two former Chief Ministers, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were booked under PSA.
All six politicians were detained in August ahead of abrogation of Article 370 of Indian Constitution and bifurcation of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
Scores of politicians were detained in August and some of them were released in phased manner while six of them were booked under PSA.
Authorities released two NC leaders Mubarak Gul and Tanvir Sadiq from MLA Hostel Srinagar after keeping them in detention for six months. Now there are only seven leaders who are under detention in MLA hostel Sub Jail. They included Shah Faisal, Irfan Shah, Ali Mohammad Dar, Peer Mansoor, Bilal Sultan, Khursheed Alam and Hilal Akbar Lone.
Thirty-five mainstream politicians were moved from the Centaur hotel on banks of Dal lake to the MLA hostel in November 2019 and most of them have been released now. Out of 7 politicians left in the MLA hostel few may be released while a couple of them are likely to be booked under PSA.
With the invoking of PSA against Akhtar, the number of people booked under PSA in Kashmir since August has gone up to 394.
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