US has welcomed the release of former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, and urged the Indian government to release all Kashmiri political leaders.
The statement on Wednesday of Acting Assistant US Secretaryof State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells came a day after NationalConference vice-president Omar was released after charges under the PublicSafety Act (PSA), slapped on him in February, were revoked.
He was among the host of political leaders taken intodetention on August 5, when the Centre announced the revocation of Jammu andKashmir’s special status under Article 370 and its bifurcation into the unionterritories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Omar spent 232 days in custody.
The US official also urged the Indian government to fullyrestore internet services in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We welcome the release of former Jammu and Kashmir chiefministers Omar Abdullah and Dr Farooq Abdullah. We encourage the release of allKashmiri political leaders and the full restoration of internet services as thecoronavirus fight intensifies,” Wells said.
Omar’s father Farooq was also charged under the PSA andreleased on March 13 after 221 days in detention.
Abdullah senior, who is also the NC president, expressedhappiness over the revocation of his son’s PSA detention, but said total redemptionwould not be possible until all political detainees were released.Indiahas categorically told the international community that its move to scrapArticle 370 was an internal matter. According to officials, internet is beingrestored in the Valley in a phased manner after reviewing the securitysituation.