Srinagar, October 6: A 15-member National Conference (NC) delegation on Sunday met party president Farooq Abdullah in Srinagar.
As the delegation reached his residence, Farooq Abdullah and his wife Molly came out to greet his party members. The octogenarian smiled as he flashed a victory sign to the cameras — his first public appearance since being detained under the Public Safety Act.
Later, the NC delegation also clicked photos with Farooq Abdullah and his wife.
Farooq and his son Omar Abdullah are under preventive detention following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
The security has been beefed around the venue. The delegation was allowed by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to meet the father-son duo yesterday. Provincial President Devender Singh Rana left Jammu by an IndiGo flight early Sunday for the meeting.
Though, the delegation officially maintains, the point of discussion will be restricted to the prevailing situation in Kashmir, following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on August 5; but it’s widely believed, the upcoming block development council (BDC) election will be the focus.
National Conference spokesperson Madan Mantoo said the decision to meet the Abdullahs was taken at an emergent meeting of senior functionaries and district presidents of the Jammu Province two days ago, soon after restrictions on the movement of Jammu-based National Conference leaders were lifted.
Eighty-one-year-old Farooq Abdullah is under house arrest at his Srinagar residence while his son Omar is detained at a state guest house.
After the Central government decided to revoke the special constitutional status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under Article 370, two months ago, the region was placed under a communications blockade and several mainstream political leaders, including the father-son duo and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti were put under house arrest.
