India detains 75 political leaders, activists in IIOJK after local election

Alliance's election victory shows Kashmiris have not accepted decision to end special status, says ex-CM Omar Abdullah

SRINAGAR:

India’s government detained at least 75 political leaders and activists from Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to forestall political unrest after an alliance of regional political parties won a local election, leaders and a police official said on Saturday.

The District Council election, concluded early this week, was the first such exercise since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government last year revoked the special status of the Muslim-majority, Indian-occupied region. New Delhi then cracked down on the opposition and rounded up hundreds of people to preempt protests and violence.

The new detentions, including freedom leaders and members of the Jamat-e-Islami group, were for "preventive custody," said a senior police official, who asked not to be identified in line with official policy.

The detentions undermine the verdict of the people, said Imran Nabi Dar, spokesman for the National Conference, a regional party and a key member of the alliance.

The alliance’s victory shows that Kashmiris have not accepted Modi’s decision to end IIOJK’s special status, said Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister and head of the National Conference.

After their release from lengthy detention, Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, chief of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party, announced the alliance in October to seek a peaceful restoration of IIOJK’s autonomy.