J& K cops stop PDP leaders from holding Srinagar meet

The Jammu and Kashmir authorities on Thursday thwarted People’s Democratic Party leaders’ attempt, the first in 13 months, to meet at the party headquarters here to discuss the political situation in the erstwhile state and other “important issues”.

The meeting was convened by PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, who in an open communiqué to senior leaders and officebearers earlier this week, said “a threadbare discussion would be held on the prevailing political situation and general party affairs”.

However, the police neither allowed him nor any others to go to the PDP headquarters at Emporium Lane along Srinagar’s Residency Road from their residences. Mr Hanjura and another senior leader Naeem Akhtar released videos via social media showing how they were prevented from leaving their homes by the police.

Mr Hajura asked, when contacted over the phone, why only PDP leaders were not being allowed to meet, were under house arrest and its president Mehbooba Mufti was still detained under the stringent Public Safety Act, recently extended for another three months.

The J& K authorities on Thursday thwarted PDP leaders’ attempt, the first in past thirteen months, to meet up at the party headquarters here to discuss the prevailing political situation in the erstwhile state and other “important issues”

The meeting had been convened by the PDP general secretary, Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, who in his open communiqué to its senior leaders and office- bearers earlier this week had said “a threadbare discussion would be held on the prevailing political situation and general party affairs”.

However, the police neither allowed him nor any of the invitees to relocate to the PDP headquarters in Emporium lane along Srinagar’s Residency Road from their respective residences. Mr. Hanjura and another former minister and senior party leader

Naeem Akhtar released videos through social media showing them being prevented from leaving their homes by the policemen.

Mr Hajura when contacted over the phone asked why PDP leaders alone are not being allowed to meet, continue to be under house arrest and the detention under J& K’s stringent PSA of its president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti was extended for another three months recently.

“Evidently, the government is afraid of us and it's all claims that there are no curbs on people’s liberty and political parties are free to exercise their political rights including freedom of assembly are farce.”

PDP spokesman Syed Suhail Bukhari while speaking inside the party headquarters added, “Our leaders who were invited to this meeting continue to be under illegal house detention.”