4 more politicians released in J&K

Currently only 16 politicians are now detained at the hostel

Srinagar: Four more mainstream politicians were on Sunday released from detention in J&K. They are among hundreds of political leaders and activists detained by the police before or immediately after J&K was stripped of its special status. The four freed second-rung leaders belonging to National Conference and People’s Democratic Party were lodged at Srinagar’s MLAs Hostel.

Four more mainstream politicians were on Sunday released from detention in Jammu and Kashmir. They are among hundreds of political leaders and activists detained by the police before or immediately after J&K was stripped of its special status and split up into two Union Territories on August 5 last year.

The four freed secondrung leaders belonging to National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were lodged at Srinagar’s MLAs Hostel. After their release, only 16 politicians are now detained at the hostel.

Those released on Sunday include Abdul Majid Larmi, Ghulam Nabi Bhat and Dr Muhammad Shafi of the NC and Muhammad

Yusuf Bhat of the PDP.

On January 16, five mainstream politicians of the NC and PDP were released from their detention in the MLA hostel.

They were freed days after the J&K government revoked the detention of 26 persons under stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) and ordered for their release from prisons within and outside the UT.

Earlier on January 3, two PDP leaders Rafi Ahmad Mir and Abdul Majeed Paddar were released from house arrest. This was followed by the release of two more mainstream leaders and former MLAs Hakeem Muhammad Yaseen and Muhammad Ashraf Mir from the MLAs’ hostel.

The government had on December 30 last year released five second-rung leaders of the NC, PDP and Congress - after they reportedly signed bonds assuring the authorities that they will not indulge in any activities prohibited in the documents.

They included Ishfaq Jabbar and Ghulam Nabi Bhat (NC), Bashir Mir (Congress) and Zahoor Mir and Yasir Reshi (PDP), the official sources said.