Many Kashmiri leaders were detained after Article 370 abrogation on August 5 last year. (File)
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference leader Sajjad Lone and Peoples Democratic Party youth president Waheed Parra were released after six months on Wednesday, as the period for which political prisoners could be legally detained ended. Officials said both the politicians were placed under house arrest immediately after their release from the makeshift detention centre at Srinagar's MLA Hostel.
Dozens of Kashmir leaders, including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, were detained as part of a massive clampdown ahead of the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5. However, there is no clarity so far if the others will be released soon.
"We don't really know whether they will be released upon the completion of six months... We have seen many leaders being released but there is no particular pattern to it. I hope the law will offer us some protection, but that doesn't seem to apply fairly in Kashmir," said Shaharyar Khanum, daughter of detained Peoples Democratic Party leader Nayeem Akhtar.
Two dozen leaders were released from detention and house arrest over the last couple of months, providing some hope that the centre will finally free all the detainees and allow political activities in Kashmir. The mass detentions were made under Section 107 of the CrPC, which gives magistrates the power to detain a person without the filing of any charges.
However, under the provisions of such detention orders, the warrants stand terminated upon the expiry of six months. So far, official sources say they are still awaiting instructions from home ministry if the former chief ministers will be released.
"We were expecting Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and other political prisoners to be released too, but that's not happening either," said National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar.
No leader has challenged these detentions ever since the centre filed a case against Farooq Abdullah under the Public Safety Act after Tamil Nadu leader Vaiko challenged the detention of Srinagar MP under Section 107 before the Supreme Court.
Of the 6,000 people picked up since August 5, around 1,000 still remain under detention. At least 400 have been accommodated in prisons outside Jammu and Kashmir.