India / Farooq Abdullah holds 1st NC meeting since Article 370 abrogation

Sri nagar: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah today held the second round of meeting with senior NC leaders at his residence in Srinagar in the backdrop of party’s allegations that several of its leaders were forcefully being kept under house arrest or detention.

“The attendees included Mubarak Gul, Choudhary Ramzaan, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Shameema Firdous, Basharat Bukhari. These members who were under detention/house arrest met Dr Farooq after over a year,” NC spokesman said, adding that party’s Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, Treasurer Shammi Oberoi, Political Advisor to Dr Farooq Mushtaq Guroo were also present.

On Thursday too, Abdullah had met senior party leaders in the backdrop of the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s denial of NC’s contention in court that several party leaders were in illegal confinement at their homes.

Yesterday’s meeting was the first at Abdullah’s Gupkar residence since the nullification of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. He said it was called to find out whether his party colleagues could come out of their homes.

NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and former ministers Mohammad Shafi Uri, Abdul Rahim Rather and Nasir Aslam Wani had attended the meeting yesterday.

On July 13, Abdullah and his son, Omar Abdullah, filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court, contending that several NC leaders were being held in a “brazen violation” of constitutional guarantees of the right to liberty.

The party decided to convene Thursday’s meeting after the administration told the court that none of the 16 leaders, who the party said were in illegal confinement, were detained.

The government nullified Article 370, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, last August and also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one.

In anticipation of protests erupting in the wake of the announcement, several political leaders and activists including former chief ministers were detained as a preventive measure. While prominent politicians such as ex-CMs Farooq and Omar Abdullah have been released, about 20 leaders, including Peoples Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti, are still in detention.