Srinagar, Jan 16: : Five more political leaders have been released from detention in Jammu and Kashmir. The leaders — Salman Sagar (NC), Nizamuddin Bhat (PDP), Showkat Ganai (NC), Altaf Kalloo (NC) and Muktiar Baba (PDP) — were released just a day after Jammu and Kashmir administration restored broadband services in government offices in the state.
The leaders were detained on August 5, when the Centre abrogated Article 370 and revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. On October 31, the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories (UTs) — Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative Assembly and Ladakh, without one.
Last week, envoys of 16 countries visited Jammu and Kashmir as a part of a drive the US State Department hailed as 'important'. “Closely following @USAmbIndia and other foreign diplomats’ recent trip to Jammu and Kashmir,” State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs said in a tweet.
“We remain concerned by the detention of political leaders and residents, and internet restrictions. We look forward to a return to normalcy,” the department said in the tweet. |
