Srinagar: Government has decided to release all political prisoners and lift curbs on the movement of political leaders ahead of Eid as a major confidence building measure after the abrogation of Article 370.
Government of India has given green signal to Lt Governor administration for the release of political prisoners, a local news agency KNS reported while quoting sources.
The initiative has been taken after J&K parties, including the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Apni party, CPI (M), People’s Conference demanded the release of all political leaders ahead of the upcoming Eid festival in the Valley.
Recently, J&K Apni Party delegation led by Muhammad Altaf Bukhari in a meeting with Lt Governor had demanded release of all Political prisoners.
The report said that Modi-led government is expecting the political parties to start their political activities so that a semblance of normalcy is sensed on ground.
The report added that former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, People’s Conference Chief and Former Minister Sajad Gani Lone will likely be also freed and restrictions on movement of other political leaders will also be lifted and would be allowed to resume their political activities.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was released by the government after more than seven months in detention.
The move came just two weeks after his father Farooq Abdullah, also a former chief minister, was freed and marked the easing of restrictions on opposition politicians in Kashmir, which has been in a lockdown since 5 August 2019.
Sources also told the news agency that some separatist leaders and activists who are not wanted in militancy related cases will also be released.
As many as 48 inmates at a jail in Anantnag– most of them political prisoners — have tested positive for the coronavirus. As soon as the news broke out, the families of these Prisoners and political parties started rallying for their release.
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