Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, was released on Friday after over seven months in custody. Moments after his release, he said “I have no words, today I am free, I am free. Now, I will be able to go to Delhi and attend Parliament and speak for you all.”
Minutes after his release, his daughter Safia Abdullah Khan expressed happiness and tweeted, “My father is a free man again.”
Earlier in the morning, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday announced it was revoking the detention of Abdullah with immediate effect.
Abdullah, 83, was detained along with two former Chief Ministers, his son Omar Abdullah and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti under the stringent J&K Public Safety Act on August 5, when the Centre abrogated the special status to Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370.
The Rajya Sabha member and a three-time Chief Minister was charged with “disturbing public order” under the law. His detention was extended after three months and today was the last day of the extended custody.
A few days earlier, eight opposition parties sent a joint resolution to the BJP-led government, demanding the immediate release of all political detainees in Kashmir.
The Public Safety Act allows for the detention of people for a period of up to two years without trial.