Srinagar: Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of Indian-occupied Kashmir has been released after spending 232 days in detention since the government announced abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The government has ordered for the revocation of the detention order of former J&K chief minister who was in custody under the notorious Public Safety Act (PSA) which allows detention without charge for up to two years.
Rohit Kansal, a government spokesman tweeted, “Government issues orders revoking detention of Shri Omar Abdullah.”
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Omar was among 50 politicians who were kept under ‘preventive detention’ after the revocation of Article 370.
Expressing his views upon the release, Mr Abdullah stated, “J&K as a state was broken down into two union terror territories. For months, people have faced hardships, children couldn’t go to school, shopkeepers couldn’t earn. Several sectors faced hardships. People were confined to their houses.”
“I thought I would speak a lot about the situation, but today I realised we are fighting life and death. I would speak openly about what has done to us, our state. All those detained in state and outside should be released. I appeal to the government to end the communication gap. In these hard conditions, Mehbooba Mufti and all other political and non-political leaders should be released,” he added.
Commenting on the COVID-19 outbreak he tweeted, “We face the fight of our lives over the next few weeks & months as we come to terms & work to defeat #COVIDー19. I will do everything in my individual capacity to help the authorities overcome this challenge & I appeal to all of you to do the same.”
Earlier, his father and five-time chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah was released from detention after spending months in government custody. He was among thousands of local leaders put under house arrest a day before the disputed region was stripped of its semi-autonomous status on August 5.
