Three J&K politicians freed from detention

Srinagar, Oct. 10: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday released three politicians who were under detention since August 5 when the Centre abrogated the special status granted to the state under the Constitution, officials said.

Yawar Mir, Noor Mohammed and Shoiab Lone were released on separate grounds, the officials said.

While Mir is a former PDA MLA from the Rafiabad Assembly seat, Lone contested unsuccessfully on a Congress ticket from North Kashmir and later resigned as district president of the party.

Noor Mohammed is a National Conference worker who has been managing the party’s show in the militancy-infested Batmaloo area of the Srinagar city.

Before his release, he will be signing a bond to maintain peace and good behaviour, the officials had said on Wednesday night.

The governor administration had earlier released Imran Ansari of the People’s Conference and Syed Akhoon on health grounds on September 21.

More than a thousand people, including politicians, separatists, activists and lawyers, were detained after the August 5 move of the central government to abrogate the state's special status.

The detainees include three former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

Meanwhile, tourism stakeholders in Kashmir are not upbeat about the revival of the sector even after the state government withdrew its security advisory of August 2 which had asked tourists in the Valley to leave.

“This would help, but the complete revival of the tourism in Kashmir is not possible until and unless the restrictions on the communication are lifted,” said Asif Burza, president of a hotel industry association of Kashmir.

— PTI A tourist embarks on a shikara ride while posing for a photograph in an empty Dal Lake in Srinagar on Thursday. The government has withdrawn its advisory, issued on August 2 asking tourists in the Valley to leave.