National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he hoped the Centre will release other political leaders still in detention in Jammu and Kashmir soon. A day after his release from over seven months’ detention, the former chief minister rebuked the central government for continuing to detain several politicians, including Peoples Democratic Party leader and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

“It is callous and cruel to continue to detain Mehbooba Mufti and others at a time like this,” Abdullah tweeted. “There was never much justification to detain everyone in the first place and none at all to keep them detained as the country enters a three-week lockdown. I hope Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] and Home Minister [Amit Shah] will release them.”

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On Tuesday afternoon, the National Conference leader was released as the Jammu and Kashmir administration revoked his detention order under the Public Safety Act. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said he would speak about politics later on as the first impediment was to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

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Abdullah, along with Mehbooba Mufti and some other Kashmiri politicians, had been charged under the Public Safety Act since February 6. Under the PSA, a person may be detained without trial for three to six years. The leaders were placed in detention since the Centre hollowed out Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5 to abrogate the region’s special status, and bifurcated it into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

On March 13, Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah’s father, detained at his residence in Gupkar Road in Srinagar, was released.