Mehbooba, Sajjad Lone Question Wisdom Behind Detention Of Separatist Leaders

JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and over two dozen Jamaat leaders, including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, have already been detained.

Outlook Web Bureau

Updated on: 23 February 2019 1:10 pm

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and Peoples Conference (PC) chief Sajjad Lone on Saturday condemned the legality of the crackdown on Jammu and Kashmir leaders including Yasin Malik, calling it an "arbitrary move" which would only precipitate matters in the state.

In the past 24 hours, Hurriyat leaders & workers of Jamaat organisation have been arrested. Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters in J&K. Under what legal grounds are their arrests justified? You can imprison a person but not his ideas.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 23, 2019

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was reacting to the government crackdown on separatists and Jamaat-e-Islami which began Friday night. JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik and over two dozen Jamaat leaders, including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, have already been detained.

"In the past 24 hours, Hurriyat leaders & workers of Jamaat organisation have been arrested. Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters in J&K," Mehbooba tweeted.

"Under what legal grounds are their arrests justified? You can imprison a person but not his ideas," she said.

Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also tweeted .

Strongly Condemn the nocturnal crackdown on Jamat e Islami leadership and cadres and the arrest of Yasin Malik. Such illegal and coercive measures against Kashmiri’s are futile and will not change realities on ground. Force and intimidation will only worsen the situation.
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) February 23, 2019

Lone, former state minister, also questioned: "Government seems to be on an arrest spree. Just a word of caution. Large scale arrests took place in 1990."

"Leaders were ferried to Jodhpur and many jails across the country. Things worsened. This is a tried tested and failed model. Please desist from it. It won't work. Things will worsen," Lone said in his reaction to the detentions.

The Centre has rushed 100 additional companies of paramilitary forces to Kashmir without assigning any reason for the heavy deployment.

(PTI)