Detained under PSA, Farooq Abdullah is part of defence panel

New Delhi, Nov 21: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) has been included in a 21-member consultative committee on defence.

The 81-year-old National Conference leader in detention at his Srinagar home for over 100 days, after being accused of having "tremendous potential to create public disorder" in the valley.

The government has made 27 charges against the former chief minister of J&K while detaining him under the PSA.

He has also been accused of violating freedom of speech by inciting violence.

In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, he had said that it was the Indian government and not the terrorists who had done it.

The government has also cited his speech in a political rally in which he said that the people should be ready for a mass struggle after the elections to seek freedom from India.

J&K National Conference Abdullah is the second politician to be detained under the PSA after the abrogation of Article 370. Bureaucrat turned politician, Shah Feasal was also detained under the PSA.

The Public Safety Act allows for detention up to two years in the case of persons acting in any manner prejudicial to the security of the State, and for administrative detention up to one year where any person is acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.