Why Mehbooba Mufti will be the last in line to be freed

New Delhi, Oct 17: Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir may be the last in line to get released.

A day before the abrogation of Article 370, the government had detained several top leaders including Mehbooba, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. While the government has been releasing several leaders, there is an assessment being conducted where the above mentioned three leaders are said to be concerned.

During the various rounds of talks to encourage political dialogue, the government has found Mehbooba to be the most adamant. Further, the intelligence reports also go on to suggest that if released now, she would get people out of the streets and protest. It may be recalled that in her last speech before the abrogation she had said that anyone attempting to fiddle with the special status would perish.

The government has been reaching out to her but has found that she has not been willing to soften her stand. On the other hand, the government feels that Farooq Abdullah and his son, Omar Abdullah may be easier to handle.

The government is in the process of conducting the Block Development Polls. Both the National Conference (NC) and the PDP have said that they would not contest the elections. The government is attempting to restore normalcy in the valley and wants to facilitate a political dialogue as well. The government would free all the leaders in a phased manner. However, when it comes to Mehbooba, she may be the last in line to be free.