NC to fight for release of Farooq Abdullah, says party MP

Srinagar, The National Conference (NC) will relentlessly work for the release of its party president Farooq Abdullah from detention so that he can participate in the ongoing Parliament session.

This was stated by National Conference MP from Anantnag and former Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Hasnain Masoodi in an interview to IANS.

Abdullah is one of the several politicians, including his son and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who have been detained since August 5 after the abrogation of Article 370 which conferred a special status on the former state.

Abdullah has been detained at his residence on Gupkar Road here, which has been declared as a sub jail.

"Dr Abdullah represents two million people of Srinagar, how can the people's voice be choked," Masoodi told IANS.

There was uproar in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the first day of the winter session of Parliament, as the Opposition demanded Abdullah's release. The Congress said it was an atrocity not to allow Abdullah to attend Parliament.

"Members from the Congress, DMK and other parties joined our protest against the detention of Farooq Abdullah," Hasnain Masoodi said.

The NC MP said the members requested the Speaker to intervene in the matter.

"We asked the Speaker that Abdullah's preventive detention must be revoked by the government so that he can participate in the Parliament session," he said.

Masoodi also said that the issue was raised during the all party meeting on Sunday.

Lending support to Masoodi in Parliament were several parties from the Opposition. The Central government has said that it is ready for a discussion on Jammu and Kashmir.

Last month, a National Conference delegation met Farooq Abdullah after some of the detained leaders from the party in Jammu were released.

Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP) MPs in the Rajya Sabha, Mir Fayaz and Nazir Ahmad Laway, also staged a protest in the Parliament premises.