Shah Faesal, 2 senior PDP leaders released after 9 months | KNO

Kashmir News Observer (KNO)

Srinagar, June 03 (KNO): Jammu & Kashmir government on Wednesday released bureaucrat-turned-politician Dr Shah Faesal and two senior leaders of Peoples Democratic Party, including uncle of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, nearly nine months after their detention. The authorities today released Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Movement founder Dr Shah Faesal and senior PDP leaders Sartaj Madni and Peerzada Mansoor Hussain after revoking their Public Safety Act(PSA) detention orders. The news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) had last week exclusively reported that government will release these leaders. Faesal, Mansoor and Madni were detained in August last year after Centre abrogated the Article 370 and bifurcated J&K into two Union Territories. After completing their six months’ detention under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the authorities booked them under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in February this year. Last month, their detentions under the PSA were extended by three months. Faesal, an IAS topper, quit the prestigious service in January last year in protest against "unabated killings" in Kashmir and later announced his intention to join politics.  He was detained at Delhi airport on August 14 as he was about to fly abroad. Highly placed sources in New Delhi and J&K disclosed that government would soon take a decision on detention of NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, PDP ideologue Naeem Akther and NC’s Hilal Akbar Lone who are also in detention under PSA. “The government is expected to take a decision on them soon,” they said, adding that none of them will remain lodged at their present places of detention. While Sagar and Akther are detained in M5 government accommodation on Gupkar road, Hilal, who is son of NC MP Akbar Lone, is now lone detainee at MLA hostel. According to sources, the government is also likely to end house detention of more than 20 leaders of National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and Peoples Conference. Peoples Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone is in house detention after his release from MLA hostel on February 5. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also remains in detention under the Public Safety Act at her Fairview residence—(KNO)