Senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar released from house arrest ahead of J&K all-party meeting

Ahead of the all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir to be chaired by PM Modi, senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar was released from house arrest on Sunday. Akhtar who served as a Minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led government till 2018 was detained in his house on May 10. His long period of incarceration started in August 2019 amid the abrogation of Article 370 after which he was booked under the Public Safety Act.

While the former MLC was freed in June 2020, he was again taken into preventive custody on December 21- a day ahead of the counting of votes for the District Development Council polls. On May 10, he was moved from Srinagar's MLA hostel, designated a subsidiary jail, to his home citing “health issues” and the Supreme Court’s directions related to COVID-19. Incidentally, another PDP leader and ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti's maternal uncle Sartaj Madni was released from preventive detention on June 19. 

This development comes even as PDP is yet to decide on whether its president will participate in the important meeting scheduled for June 24. Addressing the media after the meeting of his party's Political Affairs Committee on Sunday, PDP spokesperson Suhail Bukhari stated that Mufti had been authorized to take a call. He added that the final decision regarding her participation will be taken in Tuesday's meeting of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration.

All-party meeting

As per sources, nearly 14 leaders including NC president Farooq Abdullah, ex-CM Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, Jammu, Kashmir Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, Sajad Lone of the People's Conference, J&K Congress head GA Mir, BJP's Ravinder Raina and Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh have been invited to Delhi for a meeting. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders are also expected to be in attendance. Though the agenda is not public, it is being perceived as the Centre's attempt to reach out to the mainstream parties in J&K.

The delimitation proceedings might feature prominently in the deliberations considering that the completion of this process might pave the way for the restoration of statehood and fresh Assembly polls. At present, 4 political parties- NC, PDP, CPI(M) and ANC are a part of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration aimed at fighting for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A and statehood. While the PAGD emerged as the single-largest coalition in the DDC polls with 110 seats, BJP too made inroads in the Union Territory by becoming the single-largest party with 75 seats.