Hope Farooq Abdullah will continue with his good services for India: J&K BJP

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina expressed hope that NC president Farooq Abdullah, who was released from home detention on Friday, would continue with his "good services" for the country and work for the betterment of the people of the Union territory.

He also hoped that the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister would expose Pakistan's nefarious designs, besides keep on hitting "anti-national and anti-social elements" who are bent upon causing bloodshed in the valley.

After being in home detention for over seven months, Abdullah was released on Friday, with the government revoking the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) against him.

The 82-year-old National Conference (NC) leader was initially taken into preventive detention on August 5 last year, the day the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that granted a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and later slapped with the PSA.

Reacting to the development, Raina said, "I hope he (Abdullah) will contribute in strengthening and maintaining peace, harmony and brotherhood in Jammu and Kashmir."

"Abdullah is a sitting member of Parliament and was the chief minister and a Union minister for years.... There is a constitutional obligation on him to strengthen the Indian nationalism and nationalist forces in Jammu and Kashmir," he told PTI.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said he hoped that after the revocation of PSA, Abdullah would work for the betterment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and to strengthen democracy in the region.

"We also hope that he will expose the nefarious designs of Pakistan and keep on hitting the anti-national and anti-social elements, who are bent upon causing bloodshed in the Kashmir valley," he added.

Raina said the NC chief should utilise his energies for the betterment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as it was his constitutional obligation.

"He is a law-abiding person and I hope that he will keep on continuing with his good services for India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Reacting to the development, former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said, "I hope he (Abdullah) will not indulge in the politics of hatred and speak for holding a dialogue with Pakistan (for resolution of the Kashmir issue) anymore."

"Until now, there was no interference of these leaders, there was peace in Kashmir. The government might have reached an understanding with him (Abdullah) and reviewed the situation, before taking the decision to release him," he told PTI.

Gupta said he hoped that the former chief minister would talk about peace so that Kashmir was rid of the three-decades-long violence.

"They were behind all this (violence)," he said.

Gupta said the government would also review the cases of other leaders and release them, except those who were facing charges ahead of the resumption of the political process in the Union territory. PTI TAS RC