By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net,
Srinagar/New Delhi: Amidst uproar over the release of Hurriyat leader Masarat Alam, a Delhi-based news channel on Tuesday claimed the process of release of Masarat Alam was initiated when Jammu and Kashmir was done under central rule.
“In a letter on February 4, 2015, state’s Home Secretary told the District Magistrate, Jammu that an order detaining the separatist under the Public Safety Act had become void as it had not been confirmed in time by the state Home Department.
Masarat Alam (Courtesy: niticentral.com)
“When the Home Department asked whether there was any fresh ground for detaining Alam, the district magistrate replied in the negative,” the channel reported.
On the role of Mufti Sayeed-led coalition government, the news channel said: “In a letter on March 4, 2015, three days after the PDP-BJP government took power, the Jammu district magistrate wrote to the police saying Alam’s preventive detention had “not been approved by the government” and he should be released.”
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh on Tuesday asserted that his government’s top priority was national security and not the continuance of the government in the state where BJP is an alliance partner.
New agency IANS also reported that Sayeed spoke to Singh on phone and assured the latter that no separatist leader would be released from custody by the state government without taking the PDP’s alliance partner, the BJP, into confidence. IANS quoted sources in the PDP: “This was done by Mufti sahib to clear the confusion created by some people over Masrat Alam’s release.”
Singh’s remarks in the Parliament came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear in the Parliament that Alam’s release was not acceptable and that the government won’t tolerate any compromise with the nation’s integrity. “My government will not compromise with national security at any cost. For us any government, whether in alliance or not, that is not our priority. Our priority is country and its security. You should understand this intention of ours.”
Singh maintained that he was not satisfied with the official version that the state government sent to his Ministry. “As I said in the Parliament yesterday, I am not fully satisfied with the version, I have sought some information, clarifications on the issue from the state government and only after getting something from there, I will comment,” he told reporters.
Opposition parties cornered the government in Rajya Sabha over the issue and sought to know if the state’s Governor had mentioned in his report to the Centre that the state government was going to release all the jailed separatists.
After Naresh Agarwal (SP) and others raised the issue in Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government was ready to respond to any specific case brought to its notice. When the House met, Agrawal said he had given a notice under Rule 267 for suspension of business to take up the issue of reports claiming that J&K Governor in a report to Centre has said the state government planned to release 800 more separatists in a day or two.
Agarwal also wanted to know whether the Centre could give an assurance that no more separatists will be released by the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government in Jammu and Kashmir. Rajeev Shukla (Congress) also sought to know if the orders for Alam’s release were signed by the Governor and if they were issued when the state was under President’s rule.
AIDMK members claimed 10,000 separatist prisoners are about to be released in Jammu and Kashmir. Jaitley said Home Minister Rajnath Singh had yesterday made it absolutely clear that he had certain reservations about the report received from the state government on the release of one separatist and had sought more information.
Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir Police on March 7, 2015 released Hurriyat (G) leader and Muslim League president Masrat Alam Bhat while complying with orders of the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to release all political prisoners, who are not facing criminal charges.