Mehbooba released after 14 months, PSA detention revoked

Vows to fight for restoration of spl status

Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 13: Former Chief Minister and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti was today released after 14 months of detention.
She along with hundreds of people including top politicians were detained more than a year ago ahead of the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370. She was released soon after Government revoked her detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
Her release comes ahead of hearing of her case in the Supreme Court on October 15. The news of the PDP chief’s release was confirmed on her Twitter handle, which is being handled by her daughter Iltija.
“As Ms Mufti’s illegal detention finally comes to an end, Id like to thank everybody who supported me in these tough times. I owe a debt of gratitude to you all. This is Iltija signing off. May Allah protect you,” Mufti’s daughter said.
She was the only pro-India political leader who was under detention while all others were released. She was detained last year in August ahead of revocation of Articles 370 and 35A of Indian Constitution that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Mufti’s release came two weeks after the Supreme Court asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration if the former Chief Minister’s detention under PSA can be extended beyond a year and, if so, “how long do you propose to extend it”. The bench had fixed the next date of hearing on Thursday.
Mufti was first detained under Sections 107 and 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and later booked under the Public Safety Act. She was lodged at Cheshma Shahi guest house and then shifted to another government guest house at MA Link Road in Srinagar. The PDP president was then taken to her residence where she remained under house arrest.
Iltija had challenged her mother’s detention in the Supreme Court, which last heard the case on September 29.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed Mufti’s release. “I’m pleased to hear that @MehboobaMufti Sahiba has been released after more than a year in detention. Her continued detention was a travesty & was against the basic tenets of democracy. Welcome out Mehbooba,” Omar Abdullah tweeted.
Omar Abdullah, who along with his father Farooq Abdullah, was also among the hundreds of political leaders who were also detained hours before the Centre moved Parliament to scrap Article 370, divided the State into two Union Territories and imposed restrictions in the Kashmir valley in August last year.
Omar, also a former Chief Minister, was released on March 25 and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah was released on March 13.
Soon after her release, Mehbooba in her audio message on Twitter vowed to fight for restoration of special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
She also demanded release of all those who are jailed in different parts of the country.
In her message, she said: “I have been released after over a year today. During all this time the black decision of black day was always haunting my heart and soul. I feel that it would have been the feeling of all the people of Jammu and Kashmir. None among us can forget that day’s robbery and insult. Now we have to take a pledge that what was undemocratically, unconstitutionally and illegally snatched from us by Centre we have to take it back. And besides this we have to continue our fight for the resolution of Kashmir issue for which thousands have sacrificed lives.
I know this is a very difficult path but I hope that our determination can help us in achieving our goal. Today when I was released I want all those jailed in different jails of the country be released”.