Srinagar: J&K Peoples Movement has welcomed the release of former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. In a joint statement JKPM President Feroze Peerzada and Senior Vice President Advocate Syed Iqbal Tahir demanded the immediate release of all other political detainees who are lodged in and outside J&K jails. “In the aftermath of August 2019 clampdown, various political activists, students, businessmen, professionals were arrested. While some of them have been released, a lot of them continue to be in detention. All those detained since August 2019 must be released, full communications must be restored and the free movement of people allowed. This is essential for upholding Constitutional guarantees on democratic rights and civil liberties”, the statement read. The statement further read that due to zero political representation, protracted internet restrictions, arbitrary use of stringent laws, verbal orders of detention and crippling of the local media have resulted in blocking the voices from J&K. JKPM demands that all political leaders and activists who continue to be under detention on mere suspicion or have been slapped with PSA on flimsy grounds should be freed at the earliest.
