Srinagar
Soon after his release from the detention of more than seven months, Dr Farooq Abdullah, the five times chief minister and five times member Parliament of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir said at a brief press conference at his home on Friday that he won’t talk any about politics unless Mehbooba Mufti and other political leaders, including his son Omar Abdullah, are released.
Dr Farooq was detained on August 4 and later his detention continued under stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) twice. On March 13, the UT administration came up with an order reading that “it revokes the detention order bearing no. DMS/PSA/120/2019 dated 15-09-2019 issued by District Magistrate, Srinagar, extended for a period of 3 months vide government order no. Home/PB-V/340 of 2019 dated 13-12-2019 and then extended further period of three months vide government order no. Home/PB-V668 of 2020 dated 11-3-2020.”
Immediately after his release, the media was allowed to meet him at his Gupkar residence, which was turned into a sub-jail, Dr Farooq accompanied by his British wife Mollie and daughter Safia Abdullah thanked media for highlighting the political issues and detention of leaders, common masses for prayed for his release and his colleagues’, member Parliaments for their efforts to release him.
Farooq Abdullah had been under house arrested since August 5, 2019, the day New Delhi scrapped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and bifurcated the state into two union territories — Jammu and Ladakh.
Dr Abdullah was the first pro-India politician from the Kashmir Valley to be booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) that enables the State to detain any person in Jammu and Kashmir for up to two years without a trial or charge, merely on the assumption that they are a threat to law and order and public safety.
The detaining authority is also not required to reveal any facts “which it considers being against the public interest to disclose” regarding the detention.
