Centre set to release many Kashmir political leaders

Srinagar: There has been a flurry of behind-the-scene activities by senior BJP leaders and UT administration for the resumption of political activities in Kashmir, informed sources said.

On the anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, BJP is keen to show that “everything has moved on” in Kashmir despite adverse media reports and the latest report released by eminent academicians and scholars, talking at length about the human rights violations and about the decision to purge Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.

There have been intelligence reports that the situation in Kashmir will worsen if the political vacuum continues. “Radicalisation and the hate graphare going up. Alienation is high and this is the time when local political leaders should play their role,” a senior officer of UT administration said and endorsed the recent media reports that they were going to release many political leaders currently under detention in Kashmir.

According to official sources, after the recent visit of Ram Madhav to Kashmir, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has given the green light for the release of political prisoners and has instructed the UT administration of Jammu and Kashmir not only to lift the curbs, but facilitate the local meetings of mainstream leaders, especially in rural areas.

Ahead of this decision, it is in place to mention that most of the mainstream political parties in Kashmir met Lt. Governor Girish Chandra Murmu and urged him for the release of all political prisoners, especially leaders like Mehbooba Mufti and Sajjad Gani Lone.

Omar Abdullah is upset with continued detention of former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti who is still under detention since the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August last year.  The Central government is keen that political parties, especially the National Conference and PDP, should take the initiative and start their public programmes following abrogation of Article 370 here. Official sources said that in this direction, the Central government is likely to release former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, former BJP allay and Minister Sajjad Gani Lone and hundreds of other activists as a goodwill gesture on the eve of Eid-ul-Adha here.

These sources said that after the assessment of the ground situation, the Union Home Ministry had instructed the J&K administration to lift all curbs on the released political leaders and encourage and facilitate them for their public meetings.

Farooq Abdullah was the first political leader to be released in Kashmir after the Centre allowed former RAW chief A.S. Dulat to meet him during detention. It was followed by the release of his son Omar Abdullah who remained under detention for about seven months.