Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 24: Various political parties have welcomed the release of former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah after seven months of detention today and termed it a good step for strengthening of democracy in J&K.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad while welcoming the release of Omar Abdullah said “ I am extremely happy that ultimately Omar Abdullah has been released after nearly eight months of detention by the Central Government. The detention was totally undemocratic and uncalled for. I urge the Government of India to also immediately release Mehbooba Mufti and hundreds of other political detainees who are either in Jammu and Kashmir or in jails of different parts of the country especially in view of Corona virus crisis”, Azad added.
Azad said that it’s high time that the Government realizes its mistake and restores the Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. He further elaborated that the Government must also give back the exclusive rights of lands and services and the Constitutional and democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir before August 2019.
Azad along with other opposition leaders have been repeatedly demanding the release of the former Chief Ministers and other senior leaders of all the political parties and civilians who have been detained on August 4 last year and after, at all forums inside and outside the parliament. The Opposition leaders had also represented to the President for release of Jammu and Kashmir leaders from unconstitutional detention.
National Conference while welcoming the release of the party vice president and former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah said that this will go a long way in filling up the political vacuum and strengthening the democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a joint statement issued from Sher-e- Kashmir Bhavan here this afternoon, the senior party leaders said that entire rank and file is enthused over the development, hoping that all other mainstream leaders and activists would be released soon.
They said NC has always been a strong votary of civil liberties, democracy and secularism, adding that the release of Abdullah will pave the way for reinitiating genuine political activity so that democracy gets further strengthened in Jammu & Kashmir.
Besides provincial president Devender Singh Rana, the signatories to the joint statement included Ajay Kr. Sadhotra, Surjeet Singh Slathia, Rattan Lal Gupta, Mushtaq Ahmed Bukhari, Th Rachpal Singh, Sheikh Bashir Ahmed, Javed Ahmed Rana , Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, Khalid Najeeb Suharwardhy, Babu Rampaul, Abdul Gani Malik, Dr. Chaman Lal Bhagat, Qazi Jalal Ud Din, Brij Mohan Sharma, Ajaz Jan, Tarlochan Singh Wazir, Jagjeevan Lal, Jugal Mahajan, Gurdeep Singh Sasan , Mohinder Singh, Rahim Daad, Haji Mohd Hussain, Master Noor Hussain, Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Mohd Iqbal Bhat, Bimla Luthra, Satwant Kour Dogra, Deepender Kour, Swarn Lata, Dharamveer Singh Jamwal, Pradeep Bali, Vijay Lakshmi Dutta, Anil Dhar, Bhushan Lal Bhat, Wali Dad, Surinder Singh Bunty, Dr. Gagan Bhagat, Rita Gupta Sajjad Shaheen, Israr Khan, Vijay Lochan, Abdul Gani Teli, Ch. Haroon, Chander Mohan Sharma, Som Nath Khajuria and others.
Welcoming the release of former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, Congress today reiterated the demand for the release of all mainstream leaders and political activists under detention including house arrests besides lifting of unwarranted and undemocratic curbs and restrictions on the Congress leaders and others forthwith and allowing 4G services in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting to the release of former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah today, JKPCC Chief Spokesperson, Ravinder Sharma said that it was already expected in view of the observations of the Apex Court and the consistent pressure of the Opposition parties against such illegal and undemocratic measures against political and ideological opponents.
He said that the Congress being the frontline democratic political force in the country, always maintained that prolonged detention of all mainstream leaders and political activists is totally unlawful and undemocratic and they should be freed sooner than later.
It is a welcome step that finally Government earlier released Dr Farooq Abdullah and now Omar Abdullah after prolonged detention but Government is unnecessarily delaying the release of all other mainstream leaders and activists including former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti besides continued restrictions on several Congress leaders, while reiterating the demand including lifting all curbs on the Congress leaders and others forthwith especially in this hour crisis in the wake Coronavirus outbreak.
Chairman Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) Hakeem Yaseen has also welcomed release of Omar Abdullah who was detained for about seven months under the Public Safety Act (PSA)
In a statement issued today, Hakeem Yaseen has urged for the release of former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufi , JKPM president, Shah Faisal, JK Peoples Party, chief Sajad Gani Lone along with all other political leaders and youth adding that their free movement will help to rejuvenate stalled political process in the UT. He said with the release of political leaders, the people of the J&K will get a political platform to highlight their grievances and problems without any difficulty.
PDF chairman said that difference of ideas and dissent was the essence of democracy adding that silencing the voice of opposition through coercive means doesn’t behove good in a democratic set up.
Hakeem Yaseen has also urged the Government to lift ban on 4G internet adding that use of high speed internet has become all the more necessary due to total clampdown in the wake of spread of Coronavirus.
Welcoming the decision of the Jammu and Kashmir administration to revoke the PSA on National Conference (NC) leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, secretary CPI(M) Ghulam Nabi Malik urged the Government to release political leaders, activists and civil society members, who were detained arbitrarily after August 5, 2019.
Omar Abdullah’s release is a step to correct one wrong among many wrongs. Though late, the decision to revoke the PSA of Omar Abdullah is welcome. In the wake of spread of deadly Corona Virus, the Government should release all the detainees, who were detained after August 5, including PDP president and former CM, Mehbooba Mufti, Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement chief, Dr Shah Faesal.
Some of the detainees were shifted to outside J&K jails and they are still languishing there. In prevailing situation, it is imperative on the Government to set them free without any further delay. There is a political vacuum in Kashmir after the detention of leaders of regional political parties. Such a vacuum exists in other areas of life also, Malik said in as statement issued here, today.
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) welcomed the release of Omar Abdullah from detention of more than seven months. While this is a step in the right direction, the Government must release other political leaders, workers and activists who were continue to remain under detention.
The PC in a statement issued here today said “The Government must, at the earliest, initiate the process of releasing political leaders who continue to remain under detention including PC Chairman, Sajad Lone, PDP president, Mehbooba Mufti, Naeem Akhtar, Sartaj Madni, Peer Mansoor and Shah Faesal. We also urge them to release political workers and activists booked under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) and languishing in jails across the country, which include six workers of the Peoples Conference”, the statement added.
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