Shah saying Centre has no role in detention orders passed in Kashmir a ‘wise move’: Chidambaram

PTI, Feb 14, 2020, 9:46 AM IST

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram took a swipe at Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday by describing as “wise move” his claims that the Centre had no role in the detention orders passed in Kashmir.

He also termed the grounds for detention of local politicians under PSA laughable and bizarre” and wondered which Valley the foreign envoys visited if they said that none expressed concern over political detainees.

“If EU envoys said that no one expressed concern about political detainees, I wonder which Valley they visited? Centre had no role in the detention orders passed on Kashmir says HM. A wise move, considering how laughable and bizarre the grounds of detention are,” he said on Twitter.

Shah earlier said that everyone, including politicians, are free to visit the newly-created Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, whenever they want to and there is no restriction on anyone’s movement.

Asked about the detention of three former chief ministers — Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti — the home minister said it was a decision of the local administration to slap the Public Safety Act on them.

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah’s “considerable influence” over people, including the ability to attract voters to polling booths despite poll boycott calls and the potential for channelling energies of public for any cause, has been cited in support of his detention under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).

His political opponent and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti has been accused of making anti-national statements and extending support to organisations such as the Jamaat-e-Islamia of the state, which has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Earlier during the day, army officials briefed the delegation of foreign envoys visiting Jammu and Kashmir about the security situation there.

The 25-member delegation arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday on a two-day visit as part of a Union government-facilitated trip to help the envoys have a first-hand assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a region which faced months of harsh restrictions after its special status was stripped of in August.

The delegation later flew to Jammu for further engagements, officials said.

The group comprises envoys from Afghanistan, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, the European Union, France, Germany, Republic of Guinea, Hungary, Italy and Kenya.

Envoys from Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Rwanda, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Uganda and Uzbekistan are also part of it. This is the second batch of foreign envoys visiting the Union territory in the last one month.