National security, not alliance, our priority: Rajnath after Masarat’s release

Singh said: “My government will not compromise with national security at any cost. For us any government, whether in alliance or not, is not our priority. Our priority is country and its security…”

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The J&K government also assured the MHA that there were no plans to release Mohammad Ashiq Faktoo alias Qasim Faktoo, convicted for the murder of a human rights activist in the Valley.

The MHA has now asked for further clarification on Alam’s past cases. “We want to be assured whether due diligence was followed in the past cases registered against Alam. The details of bail conditions of all the 27 cases has been sought from the state and we want to know whether the state opposed the bail being given to Alam or not, and if not why? It is to establish how strong the argument of the state was to oppose any bail to Alam,” a senior Home Ministry official said.

He said the entire controversy was a result of delay at bureaucratic level which took a “political colour.”

“The latest case of PSA was slapped against Alam in September 2014, but as per rules his case should have been referred to an advisory board. The board was never constituted and meanwhile the state saw floods followed by elections. In December, the Home Department sent Alam’s file to the Law Ministry, and it was returned only in January. On February 4, state home department sent a letter for his release since there was no case against him and the advisory board was never constituted,” the official said.

Soz: Home Minister must explain correct position in House

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Saifuddin Soz, speaking about the release of Hurriyat hardliner Masarat Alam, said the “Home Minister should get in touch with the Chief Minister and obtain real facts and then explain the position to the Parliament in right perspective”.

He said: “The Congress took a stand in both Houses of Parliament as the situation was explained in such a way by the government that it was but natural that the Congress act in national interest… Now, there is a situation in which certain facts have come to light which need to be appreciated properly. Mr Massat Alam was jailed four-and-a-half years ago through an executive order without making reference to any court of law. This does not seem to be the right course of action…”

Soz added: “I don’t hold any brief for the J&K government, but I take the position for the common man that it would be tragic if a person were to spend four-and-a-half years in jail without making any reference of his case to a court of law.” ENS