Srinagar: The house arrest of all the politicians in Jammu has been ended by the administration, while their counterparts in the Kashmir valley will continue to remain under detention. This move comes ahead of the election for the Block Development Council here.
It is believed that over 12,000 Panchayat seats are still vacant. In the Jammu and Kashmir panchayat election last year, regional parties including the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not participate over the issue of special status.
Jammu and Kashmir have been facing a security lockdown following the abrogation of Article 370 about two months ago. Article 370 gave a special status to J&K. Nearly 400 political leaders, including former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah, were either detained or placed under house arrest as part of the centre’s clampdown.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Election Officer announced polling for the Block Development Council election on Monday and since the administration felt that the region was peaceful the politicians of Jammu were released.
Among those released from house arrest in Jammu are Devender Singh Rana, Raman Bhalla, Harshdev Singh, Chaudhary Lal Singh, Vikar Rasool, Javed Rana, Surjit Singh Slathia and Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo. The Kashmir Valley has been shut for the last 57 days with communication and internet blockade.
