news details |
|
|
| Masrat Alam's release creates flutters across country, Home Ministry asks Mufti to explain position | | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 8 : Release of separatist leader and former militant commander, Masrat Alam Bhat from the Baramulla jail has virtually put the coalition partners in the state at loggerheads with the Home Ministry also chipping in.
Taking a strong note of the release of separatist leader and chairman Muslim League, Masrat Alam Bhat, the Home Ministry has asked the Jammu & Kashmir government to submit a report as how come Masrat was released. Masarat's release has not gone well with the Home Ministry officials.
Sources told Early Times that Home Ministry has written to the state government about the release of Masrat. The Home Ministry has asked the state government to make its position clear over the release of Muslim League chairman. It has sought a report about the procedure adopted in releasing the separatist leader.
"The Home Ministry has taken a strong note of the release of separatist leader since he was booked under various FIRs in the Kashmir valley. Masrat's release has not gone well with the Home Ministry and it is due to this reason that they have asked the state government to make their position clear over the issue," said sources.
Masrat, a close confidante of Hurriyat hardliner, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was released on Saturday evening. His release has virtually put Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at loggerheads with its coalition partner Bharatiya Janta Party, Congress, National Conference and other mainstream parties of the state and the country.
"As the separatist's release has been condemned by one and all in the country, the Home Ministry was left with no option, but to issue a summon to the state government of PDP-BJP. It remains to be seen how will the state government especially the chief minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed respond to the situation that has emerged of late," said sources.
The state unit of BJP has already voiced its concern over the release of Masrat and said that the step was in contradiction to the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) reached with PDP before the government formation in the state. The BJP leaders also said that they were not consulted before hand about the release of separatist leader.
On the other hand the PDP has maintained that release of Masrat was in tune with the CMP reached with its coalition partner. The PDP said that separatist leader's release is part of the process under which various stakeholders need to be engaged for finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the Kashmir issue.
Masrat was released after directions from CM to Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra to release all those political prisoners against whom no criminal charges have been framed. Mufti also ordered for the rolling back of FIRs registered against youth booked in agitations of 2008 and 2010.
Masrat's release is the second controversy that has come up after Mufti took over as the chief minister of the state on March 1. On the first day he made a statement that peaceful polls in the state were also possible due to the 'positive' role of Pakistan, militants and separatist. Mufti said that a single violent incident would have possibly reduced the voting percentage in the state during the assembly elections held last year in November and December. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
