75 Kashmiri leaders, activists under detention

HELD SRINAGAR: At least 75 Kashmiri political leaders and activists have been detained to forestall political unrest in the Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) 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 the Modi government last year revoked the special status of the IHK, reports a UK-based international news agency. New Delhi then cracked down on the opposition and rounded up hundreds of people to preempt protests and violence, foreign media reported.

The new detentions, including politicians and members of the banned Jamaat-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 people, said Imran Nabi Dar, spokesman for the National Conference.

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

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