Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 3: Authorities today foiled the meeting called by People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to discuss the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir at its party headquarters in Srinagar.
The leaders who were scheduled to participate in the meeting said that none among them was allowed to come out of their homes today to attend the meeting. They said the meeting was called to discuss the ongoing political situation in Jammu and Kashmir as well as about party affairs.
Former minister and senior PDP leader Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura said that at least 20 leaders who were scheduled to attend the meeting today were put under house detention.
He said the leaders besides him who were put under house detention include Abdul Rehman Veeri, Naeem Akhter, Khursheed Aalam, Muhammad Yousuf Bhat, Aijaz Mir, Zahoor Ahmad Mir, Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, Farooq Andrabi, Sartaj Madni and Peer Mansoor.
The meeting was being held by the leaders at a time when the party’s president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was undergoing house detention while all other political leaders including two former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were released.
Hanjura said that they had already sought permission from the Government for holding the meeting. “We didn’t get any response from the Government. As the PDP leaders tried to come out of their house today, they were intercepted by the police and were not allowed to attend the meeting. Barring us from holding the meeting has clearly indicated that we are not free. We are still caged,” he said.
Asked whether the leaders will call for a meeting again, he said: “We have not decided anything yet as we are not free yet.”
PDP senior leader Nayeem Akhtar said that despite being free on paper and in Government submissions in High Court and Supreme Court, PDP leadership remained under illegal detention, without any official orders. “I wasn’t allowed to attend the PDP meeting nor were any of my colleagues”, he said.
It was for the first meeting of the PDP after the abrogation of Article 370 which was called to discuss the present situation in Jammu and Kashmir besides the party affairs.
Earlier, last month the National Conference (NC) was allowed to hold the meeting and this was followed by another meeting in which an all-party statement was issued which demanded restoration of special status and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
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