Farooq Abdullah calls meeting of ‘free’ NC leaders

The J&K administration has told HC that ‘no leader is under detention and that they are free to move subject to necessary security arrangements’

Updated - August 20, 2020 02:01 am IST

Published - August 19, 2020 07:08 pm IST - Srinagar:

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah. File

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah. File

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday decided to hold a meeting of four senior party leaders on Thursday, who, according to the government, were “free” but the party pleaded before the High Court that they were “illegally detained since August 5, 2019.”

“On a perusal of the reply submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir administration before the High Court that ‘no leader is under detention and that they are free to move subject to necessary security arrangements’, Dr. Abdullah has invited four senior party members for a meeting at his residence on Thursday at 5 p.m.,” a NC spokesman said.

Those invited for the meeting were party general secretary and former Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, former Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, former legislator Mohammad Shafi Uri and former Minister Nasir Aslam Wani.

NC president Dr. Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah on July 13 filed a habeas corpus petition before the court challenging “the unconstitutional and illegal house detention of 16 NC senior leaders and functionaries.”

Also read: Comment | The Centre’s Kashmir policy and a heavy price to pay

“The party is mindful of the present pandemic. The meeting with various leaders, who have been under detention, will be done in batches of four members. The party is hopeful that the liberty of the members under detention is now absolute and the meeting is held successfully on the appointed day,” the spokesman said.

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