Cruel to continue to detain Mehbooba Mufti: Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah after being released from detention on Tuesday. (Express photo: Shuaib Masoodi)

A day after he was released from jail, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah appealed to the Centre to release PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti who continues to be under detention ever since the government abrogated special status to the erstwhile state and imposed a lockdown and restrictions on communications in the Vlaley.

Taking to Twitter, the National Conference leader said, “It’s callous and cruel to continue to detain Mehbooba Mufti and others at a time like this.There was never much justification to detain everyone in the first place and none at all to keep them detained as the country enters a 3-week lockdown.”

It’s callous & cruel to continue to detain @MehboobaMufti & others at a time like this.There was never much justification to detain everyone in the 1st place & none at all to keep them detained as the country enters a 3 week lockdown.I hope @PMOIndia & @HMOIndia will release them

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 25, 2020

Abdullah was held for over seven months and released on Tuesday from the Srinagar subsidiary jail at Hari Niwas. Abdullah and Mufti were charged under the Public Safety Act in February. Soon after his release on Tuesday, Abdullah had appealed to the Centre to lift restrictions on communication and restore 3G/4G services in the Valley.

“There are two things to be considered first. One, we have to fight coronavirus. Second, all of our people who are incarcerated in jails, either within or outside J&K. In these difficult times, the Centre should release them and bring them home,” he had said.

He said that he will discuss 370, 35A and UT status once the coronavirus spread is controlled.