Jammu & Kashmir
JK Admin prevents PDP from holding first ever party meet post Article 370 abrogation
Srinagar: On Thursday, as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had scheduled a maiden party meeting post abrogation of special status in Jammu and Kashmir; however, most of its leaders were not allowed by the JK administration to move out from their residences.
The party had called the meeting to discuss several important issues including party president Mehbooba Mufti’s continued detention under the PSA (Public Security Act).
Sources said that a number of PDP leaders were prevented by the police from leaving their residences today by the police.
In this regard, as the movement was prevented, former education and works minister Naeem Akhter shared a video on Twitter in which he was not allowed to leave his residence for the meeting scheduled at 11 am.
Despite being free on paper and in govt submissions in HC and SC, PDP Leadership continues to be under illegal detention, without any official orders. Video from today – I wasn't allowed to attend the PDP meeting nor were any of my colleagues. pic.twitter.com/zpguiKYEIg
— Naeem Akhtar (@shangpal) September 3, 2020
“Despite being free on paper and in govt submissions in HC and SC, PDP Leadership continues to be under illegal detention, without any official orders. Video from today – I wasn’t allowed to attend the PDP meeting nor were any of my colleagues,” Akhter wrote on his twitter handle and shared the video.
In another video, shared on former JK chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s twitter handle in which another party leader, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura was stopped by the police.
Shameful that J&K admin along with police physically prevented PDP leaders from leaving their homes in Srinagar today.They shamelessly lie to courts that these people are free to move & then have the audacity to detain them illegally at home pic.twitter.com/hdpNGTEgC4
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) September 3, 2020
“Shameful that J&K admin along with police physically prevented PDP leaders from leaving their homes in Srinagar today. They shamelessly lie to courts that these people are free to move & then have the audacity to detain them illegally at home,” Mehbooba wrote on twitter.
Another party leader Waheed-Ur-Rehman Parra, wrote: “Our story: A year of unfreedom & many claims later we were told we are free now. But when we try to attend the first party meet post Aug 5 they told us we are under detention. Question now is how choking our space in the name of law & order is contributing to the so called ‘peace”
Our story:
A year of unfreedom & many claims later we were told we are free now. But when we try to attend the first party meet post Aug 5 they told us we are under detention.
Question now is how choking our space in the name of law & order is contributing to the so called ‘peace pic.twitter.com/azJBqgAiwl— Waheed Ur Rehman (@parawahid) September 3, 2020
Meanwhile, while condemning the move CPI(M) party has said that it once again exposed the “hollow claims of the BJP government about normalcy” in Kashmir.
“It is highly astonishing that the BJP government is even afraid of allowing a political party to hold a meeting. For more than one year, the BJP government has been lying about normalcy in Kashmir. If that is the case then why were senior leaders of a political party placed under house arrest and not allowed to meet,” the party spokesman asked in a statement.
The party said that the only thing the revocation of Article 370 has achieved so far is a complete abrogation of democracy in JK and an unconscionable “suppression” of civil and democratic rights.
The government must release all political prisoners, including PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, without any further delay.
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