No One Called Them Anti-national: Amit Shah

New Delhi The decision on release of three former chief ministers of erstwhile J&K will be taken by the union territory's administration, Home Minister Amit Shah has said, adding that three leaders had to be detained for 'some time' after they made provocative statements.

The three former CMs-- Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti-- have been under detention since August 2019, soon after the Centre revoked the state's special status under Article 370 and bifurcated the state into two union territories.

Shah also said that no one has called them 'anti-nationals'.

"Please see the statements made by them, like the entire country will be on fire if Article 370 was touched...In the backdrop of these statements, a professional decision was taken to keep them under detention for sometime," Shah said at the news summit.

While Farooq Abdullah has been booked under the stringent Public Safety Act and confined to his Gupkar Road residence in Srinagar, which has been declared a sub-jail, his son Omar Abdullah has been detained at Hari Niwas. PDP chief Mufti was lodged at Chesmashahi hut initially but later shifted to a government accommodation. To a question pointing out that Abdullahs' National Conference and Mufti's PDP were alliance partners of the BJP at some point of time and the leaders were now being labelled "anti-national", the home minister made it clear that neither he nor anyone from the government had called them so.

As far as the decision to release them is concerned, this decision will be taken by the local administration and not me," he said, adding that the administration will release them whenever it deems suitable.

Shah said the situation in the Kashmir Valley was under control and day-to-day life was going on smoothly. "Not a single inch in Kashmir is under curfew today," he added.