Maintaining that the Centre has no intention to keep any leader in Kashmir under custody even for one more day but it was for the local administration of Jammu & Kashmir to take a call on their release, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday pointed out that the Government doesn’t want to emulate the Congress that had kept Farooq Abdullah’s father in jail for 11 years. He asserted that the Centre would not interfere in the process.
He said all leaders should be concerned about political leaders in the Valley, he is also concerned but if leaders are more worried about people of Kashmir it will send a better message.
Responding to the question by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on normalcy in Jammu & Kashmir and detention of political leaders, Shah underlined that the situation is completely normal in the Valley. “99.5 per cent students of Class XI class sat for exams there, but for Adhir Ranjan ji this is not normalcy, seven lakh people availed OPD services in Srinagar, Section 144 removed from everywhere. But for Adhir ji only parameter for normalcy is political activity.”
Taking on the Congress, Shah said, Farooq Abdullah is in custody for six months but the Congress had kept his father in custody for 11 years.
“Farooq Abdullah’s father was kept in jail for 11 years by the Congress. We don’t want to follow them and as soon as the administration decides, they will be released,” he said.
“..It is for local administration to decide when political leaders will be released. We don’t want to keep anyone (leaders) in jail even for a day more than that is required. As and when the local administration feels the time is appropriate, they will be released. There will be no interference from our side,” Shah said.
Earlier, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy, responding to a supplementary question by Sridhar Kotagiri, said stone pelting incidents have decreased substantially in 2019.
In 2018, 802 such incidents were reported which reduced to 544 in 2019, while only 190 stone pelting incidents were reported since August 5, Reddy said, adding all leading
English, Urdu newspapers and TV channels are working in the Valley.
