Omar Abdullah, Other PAGD Leaders Detained Ahead of Anti-Delimitation Protest

Despite the house arrests, the youth wing of the National Conference assembled at the party headquarters to protest.

Farooq Abdullah addresses a press conference along with his son Omar Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti and others after meeting of signatories to the Gupkar declaration, at his residence in Srinagar, Thursday, 15 October, 2020.

Image used for representational purposes only. 

(Photo: PTI)

Leaders of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, an electoral alliance of several regional parties of Jammu and Kashmir, were put under house arrest on Saturday, 1st January ahead of a planned protest against the delimitation draft recommendation.

Three former chief ministers - Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah, and Omar Abdullah - were among those who have been locked inside their homes to prevent them from attending the proposed protest, PTI reported.

“Good morning and welcome to 2022. A new year with the same JK police illegally locking people in their homes and an administration so terrified of normal democratic activity,” Omar Abdullah, who is the vice-president of the National Conference, tweeted.

Furthermore, he posted a picture of a locked gate that he said connect his father's home to his sister's.

While speaking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), M Y Tarigami, the spokesperson for the PAGD, sarcastically said that this was a New Year's gift from the central government. He also claimed that political leaders have been locked from both inside and outside, The Kashmir Walla reported.

"I don’t even know that I was put under house arrest. Some cops came and informed that you are under arrest," he said.

Despite the house arrest of the top leadership, party workers of the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party went ahead with protest against proposal of the Delimitation Commission.

The workers and leaders of the youth wing of National Conference assembled at the party headquarters to protest.

A senior leader of the National Conference, Chaudhary Mohd Ramzan, told reporters that "keeping Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti under House arrest is an improper decision".

"We are against the Delimitation Commission's proposal and we condemn house arrest of PAGD leaders. In a democracy, everyone has freedom of right to expression," KNS reported.

(With inputs from KNS, PTI, and the Kashmir Walla)