More mainstream Valley leaders to be released soon

SRINAGAR: The J&K government is contemplating to release more mainstream leaders who are either under house arrest or have been kept at MLA hostel.

Some of the leaders, who were under house arrest, were allowed to travel outside the state on health grounds.

Currently, 31 mainstream political leaders, including former legislators and minsters of different political parties, are detained at MLA hostel and over two dozen others have been kept under house arrest either at their homes or the official residences. Most of them belong to National Conference, PDP and Congress.

Sources in the government said in the coming days, more leaders could be released from the house arrest and there is every possibility that some of the leaders detained at MLA hostel will be shifted to their homes where they will be placed under house arrest till the release.

“Many things could take place, some more leaders could be released from the house arrest and also some leaders, especially who have health related issues, could be shifted from the MLA hostel to their homes,” a senior police officer privy to the matter said.

Earlier too, some former ministers, despite being under house arrest, were allowed to travel to New Delhi. PDP patron Muzuffar Baig, who was under house arrest at his Kralsangri residence in Srinagar, was allowed to travel to New Delhi last month for a meeting with the delegations of EU parliamentarians.

However, it’s not clear whether Baig is under house arrest or not, though his family members claim he is still under house arrest. The J&K government on Monday evening had freed two former ministers — Ghulam Hassan Mir who is head of Nationalistic Democratic Party and Dilawar Mir, a senior leader of PDP. Former ministers Hakeem Yasin and Ashraf Mir of the Peoples Democratic Front and PDP were shifted to their houses from the MLA hostel and will remain in their homes under the detention.

The relatives of political leaders who are detained at MLA hostel had been complaining about lack of facilities in the rooms where leaders have been kept after they were shifted from Centaur hotel and termed the conditions inside the hostel apathetic.

Last week, 33 political leaders were shifted to MLA hostel. During the shifting, some political leaders had even entered into a scuffle with the police personnel.