Just a day after getting released from detention after nearly eight months, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday (march 25) appealed the BJP-led government at the Centre to release PDP chief and another former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, and other politicians from detention after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown on Tuesday.
"It's callous and cruel to continue to detain Mehbooba Mufti and others at a time like this. There was never much justification to detain everyone in the first place and none at all to keep them detained as the country enters a three-week lockdown. I hope Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release them," tweeted Omar Abdullah.
It’s callous & cruel to continue to detain @MehboobaMufti & others at a time like this.There was never much justification to detain everyone in the 1st place & none at all to keep them detained as the country enters a 3 week lockdown.I hope @PMOIndia & @HMOIndia will release them
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 25, 2020
It may be recalled that Omar Abdullah was detained on August 5, 2019, along with his father Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and several other politicians after the Centre abrogated Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
On Tuesday, when it was announced that Abdullah will be released from the detention centre Hari Niwas in Srinagar, Mehbooba Mufti had tweeted: "Glad he will be released. For all their talk of nari Shakti & women emancipation, seems like this regime fears women the most."
Talking to media after arriving at his Hari Niwas residence at Gupkar Road in Srinagar after the Jammu and Kashmir administration revoked the Public Safety Act (PSA) order against him, the National Conference leader said that he would talk about Article 370 and its impact in the region in detail after some time.
"Today, I, realise that we are fighting a war of life and death. All our people who have been detained should be released at this time. We must follow govt orders to fight Coronavirus," said the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
