PDP President and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti released from detention after more than 14 months, J&K government spokesman Rohit Kansal informed on Tuesday.
Mufti, along with other political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, were detained on the eve of the abrogation of J&K’s special status and its bifurcation into Union Territories on August 5 last year. Mufti was first detained under Sections 107 and 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and later booked under the Public Safety Act.
She had been held in house arrest since April 2020, after seven months of being detained in a government facility on the outskirts of Srinagar. Initially, Mehbooba Mufti released from detention and was lodged at Cheshma Shahi guest house and then shifted to another government guest house at M A Link Road.
The news of Mehbooba Mufti released from detention was confirmed on her Twitter handle, which is being handled by her daughter Iltija.
“As Ms Mufti’s illegal detention finally comes to an end, Id like to thank everybody who supported me in these tough times. I owe a debt of gratitude to you all. This is Iltija signing off. May Allah protect you,” Mufti’s daughter said.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed Mehbooba Mufti released from detention. “I’m pleased to hear that @MehboobaMufti Sahiba has been released after more than a year in detention. Her continued detention was a travesty & was against the basic tenets of democracy. Welcome out Mehbooba,” Omar Abdullah tweeted.
Omar Abdullah, along with his father Farooq Abdullah, was also among the hundreds of political leaders who were detained hours before the Centre moved Parliament to scrap Article 370, divided the state into two Union Territories and imposed restrictions in the Kashmir Valley in August last year. Omar, also a former chief minister, was released on March 25 and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah was released on March 13.
