Political leaders on Friday welcomed the release of Farooq Abdullah, president of the National Conference, three-time chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir and a sitting Lok Sabha member.

“Revocation of Dr Abdullah’s Public Safety Act is a step to correct one wrong among many wrongs. Though late, the decision to revoke PSA of Dr Abdullah is welcome. The government must also release political leaders, activists and civil society members, who have been detained arbitrarily since August 5,” said Communist Party of India leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami.

The politicians have been detained because of political vendetta by the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre, he alleged.

The former J&K legislator said that some of the detainees were shifted to prisons outside the newly carved out Union Territory and they were still languishing there. “The cases of all the detainees in Kashmir must be reviewed. The curbs on democratic activities, which have been going on since August 5, need to be lifted immediately”, he said.

“He should not have been detained in the first place. He is always talking of India and has been used by successive governments for anti-Pakistan campaigns. He chants ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. Who does this in Kashmir? Which other leader in Kashmir has the courage to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’? he asked.

He, however, also had a word of advice for the government. “One should take opposition leaders into confidence rather than harassing them and muzzling their voice. I feel Dr Abdullah should work for the restoration of statehood. Article 370 is now gone and there is no use crying over spilt milk,” he said.

“In the past few days, the BJP was embarrassed in Parliament and before the country for riots in north-east Delhi and for hate speeches of its ministers. Those in J&K who didn’t speak anything were detained under the PSA. While Union minister [Anurag Thakur] and others [Kapil Mishra] who made hate speeches right under the nose of home minister Amit Shah were never taken to task. Had the government taken any action against them, it would have set an example. Double standards of the BJP won’t work anymore. People are not ready to accept the BJP government’s duplicity,” Mir said.