Srinagar, July 25: The Jammu and Kashmir government is reviewing the detention and arrest of Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was booked under Public Safety Act (PSA), and many other separatists, a vernacular news agency KNS reported on Sunday.    
It said that review was undertaken following political pressure from mainstream parties which feel that the release of jailed leaders would help calm tensions. “It (reviewing) will deny perennial provocation to the youth as many take to the streets to create a situation to get their fellow protesters released,” the KNS added.
Pertinently, police have arrested nearly 1000 youth in the past one month and most separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Javed Ahmed Mir, and many second rung leaders have been lodged in different jails. Other separatists including Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have been under continuous house arrest since the present unrest broke out in the valley.     
 Sources said that officials have already prepared a list of the persons to be released and it is awaiting final nod from the higher ups.   
 The ruling National Conference during its recent meeting of the Central Working Committee had urged the state government to consider release of all political prisoners, including top separatist leaders. 
 When contacted Geelani’s son Naseem Geelani said that he had no information about his father being released.
 Geelani after being booked under PSA last month was lodged in the Chesmashahi sub-jail. However, he was recently shifted to SKIMS where he is undergoing treatment.

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