Taking a cue from National Conference (NC) after administration allowed its leaders to meet for the first time since August 5, 2019, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders have now approached District Magistrate (DM), Srinagar, to allow them to meet party president Mehbooba Mufti, detained under Public Safety Act (PSA).
However, senior PDP leader and former minister Abdul Rehman Veeri told UNI on Tuesday afternoon that no reply has so far been received from DM to the application in which we have sought permission to meet Mehbooba.
He expressed the hope that DM will allow them to meet the former Chief Minister which is the fundamental right of every citizen, including detenues. However, he said, he too is under house arrest as security forces deployed outside his house are not allowing him to leave.
After the government informed the court that no NC leaders is under house arrest, the NC organized several meetings of party leaders, including Political Affairs Committee (PAC) chaired by former CM and party president Dr Farooq Abdulah last month. Earlier Dr Abdullah and party vice president Omar Abdullah had filed a petition in the court alleging that senior NC leaders were not allowed to leave their houses as they have been put under house arrest.
Mr Veeri said he and three other senior leaders of the party—Ghulam Nabi Lone, Khurshid Alam and Aijaz Mir have written a formal application to DM, Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary on Monday to allow them to meet Mehbooba, who is under detention since August 5, 2019.
The letter said that despite being detained under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) at her residence Fairview, which has been converted into a sub jail, Mehbooba Mufti has certain legal rights even as a political prisoner that cannot be violated or taken away. Apart from legal aid and adequate medical facilities, these also include visitations at least twice a week as per the Constitution,” the application said.
The letter said that no party member has been allowed to meet her since her “illegal incarceration”.
“The PDP chief and ex-CM has been jailed since August 2019 after the illegal abrogation of Article 370 and subsequent bifurcation of J&K into two UTs. Unfortunately, the administration has not allowed us to meet her despite repeated attempts,” application said.
Mr Veeri alleged that most of the PDP leaders, including himself, continued to be in illegal house arrest without any written legal orders.
He said one cannot stress enough the need to allow Mehbooba Mufti, a political leader, who is deliberately cut off from the public to meet her party members and well wishers.