Separatists still under house arrest; to be released after May 13

Srinagar May 06: Over a dozen separatist leaders, including chairmen of both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC) and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik, remained under house arrest to prevent them from addressing anti election rallies in the Kashmir Valley.
However, official sources said the separatist leaders would be released only the last and fifth phase of polling is over in Baramulla and Ladakh parliamentary constituencies on May 13.
It was a preventive measure to avoid any law and order problem, the sources said.
The JKLF chief Malik has been under house arrest for the past two weeks and he was not being allowed to move out of his Maisuma house by the security force personnel deployed outside, a JKLF spokesman said.
Malik was put under house arrest after he addressed an anti- election rally in south Kashmir where polling in Anantnag Parliamentary constituency was held on April 30, recording 26 per cent voting, much low against the 2008 Assembly polls voter turn out.
He was, however, taken to Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) at Soura for a brief period for a check up as he was suffering from heart ailment.
The chairman of the breakway HC Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who called for 50-hour-long strike from last evening and given poll boycott call, remained under house arrest for the past four weeks.
''Mr Geelani was not being allowed to leave his Hyderpora house and it was to prevent him from addressing anti-election rallies in the valley,'' a spokesman of the amalgam said.
Similarly chairman of another faction of the HC Miraiz Moulvi Omar Farooq also remained under house for the past two weeks, a spokesman of the amalgam said here.
About a dozen other separatist leaders, including Dr Ghulam Nabi Hubbi, Agha Syed Hassan Almosvi Alsafvi, Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Javeed Ahmad Mir were also put under house arrest. Another half a dozen separatist leaders were taken into custody for the past one week.
During the seven phase 2008 Assembly elections in the state, almost all the HC and other separatist leaders were arrested or put under house arrest.
They were, however, released immediately after the election process was over. But a dozen separatist leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) leader Shabir Ahmad Shah remained under detention even after it was quashed by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. (UNI)