Now, PDP’s Naeem Akhter booked under PSA

SRINAGAR — Two days after the four mainstream leaders including two former chief ministers of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA), authorities on Saturday slapped PSA on another People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Naeem Akhter, who is under detention from past six months.

Meanwhile, two more National Conference (NC) leaders, who were also under detention, were released from MLA hostel and have been put under house detention, officials said.

Officials said PDP chief spokesman, Naeem Akhter who was also former minister during PDP-BJP coalition government has been booked under PSA.

Akhter, as per sources, has been shifted to M5, a government building where two leaders including NC’s General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar and PDP’s leader Sartaj Madni are already under detention following slapping of PSA against them.

Sagar and Madni were under detention at MLA hostel and were shifted to M5 on Thursday and were booked under PSA. The two former chief ministers including Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were also booked under PSA on Thursday.

Meanwhile, two more NC leaders including former speaker Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Haji Mubarak Gul and political advisor to former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah, Tanvir Sadiq were released from the MLA hostel today. Soon after being released from MLA hostel, the duo was kept under house detention at their respective homes in Srinagar.

The duo along with many other leaders including the three former chief ministers—Dr. Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti were put under detention on August 05, when the Central government abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370) and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories—J&K and Ladakh.

The number of PSAs slapped on political leaders has reached six that includes three former chief ministers too.

Earlier on Wednesday, the former minister Sajad Gani Lone and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra were also released from MLA hostel and were kept under house detention later. Bashir Ahmad Veeri, NC leader has also been placed under house detention on Thursday after he was released from MLA hostel.

Sources, however, said that only 11 leaders affiliated with different political parties are under detention at MLA hostel, saying that these leaders too will be released and it has not been decided so far whether they will be put under house detention or shifted to other places after their release.

Notably, many leaders affiliated with different political parties in Jammu and Kashmir detained on August 05 have been released so far. The government after detaining these leaders had stated that the leaders will be released in phased manner after proper review.