I am free beams Farooq Abdullah
Srinagar, Mar 14: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and NC patron Farooq Abdullah thanked parliamentarians who fought for his freedom from detention and said he will be able to take a decision on future only after other leaders are released.
"I am free... Hope others political leaders would be released soon. Thank all parliamentarians who fought for my freedom. Will be able to take decision on future only after other leaders are released," he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday revoked the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) against former chief minister Farooq Abdullah, a five-time parliamentarian and a member of the present Lok Sabha, with immediate effect.
According to an order issued by the Union Territory's home secretary Shaleen Kabra, the PSA ordered by the district magistrate of Srinagar on September 15 and subsequently extended for three months on December 13, stands revoked.
Farooq Abdullah’s detention revoked by Jammu and Kashmir govt after 7 months
Abdullah was under preventive detention since August 5 last year, the day the Centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. He was the first chief minister against whom the PSA was invoked.
The stringent Act was slapped against him on September 15, hours before the Supreme Court was to hear a petition by MDMK leader Vaiko who claimed that Abdullah had been illegally detained.
He
was
booked
under
'public
order' of
the
PSA,
a
provision
that
allows
authorities
to
detain
a
person
for
three
months
without
trial.
This
can
be
extended
up
to
two
years.
The
decision
to
release
the
National
Conference
patron
came
hours
ahead
of
the
ending
of
the
three-month
period
on
Friday
midnight.
Immediately after his release, the National Conference issued a statement welcoming the decision and also urged the Union Territory administration to release other political leaders including party vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah.
According to the NC statement, the release of its patron from detention was the right step towards restoration of a genuine political process in Jammu and Kashmir.
It said the process would receive further fillip when party vice-president Omar Abdullah and other political detainees are set free. "We urge the government to do so at the earliest," it said.
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"As the pre-eminent political party of Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference has played a key role in strengthening the voice of the people through democracy and will continue to do so," the statement said.
Officials said District Magistrate Shahid Iqbal Choudhary entered the residence of Abdullah, who underwent an eye surgery earlier this week, and is believed to have handed over the release order to him.
Farooq Abdullah's son Omar as well as former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti were slapped with the PSA on February 6, the day on which their six-month term of preventive detention was to end.