Live: Hurriyat hardliner Masarat Alam’s release rocks Parliament, Opposition seeks PM’s statement

Hurriyat hardliner Masarat Alam.

The release of Hurriyat hardliner Masarat Alam has given the Opposition a fresh ammunition to target the Government in Parliament. Raising the issue in Lok Sabha, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make a statement in the House as to why he was released.

Presenting the Government’s view, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the Centre was not consulted about his release. He also informed the House the Home Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement in Lok Sabha.

Alam, who had organised anti-India protests in the Valley in 2010 that led to the death of 112 people, was freed from Baramulla jail on Saturday evening.

Alam’s release came two days after the Chief Minister instructed the state police chief to initiate the process of releasing all political prisoners against whom there were no criminal charges.

This is not the first time that the BJP and PDP have differed since their government was sworn in on March 1. Barely an hour after taking oath, the Chief Minister credited separatists and Pakistan for the smooth conduct of assembly polls in the Valley. Days later, eight PDP legislators described the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as a “travesty of justice” and demanded the return of his mortal remains.

Source:: Indian Express