J&K not to free more political prisoners, militants: Home Secy

The Jammu and Kashmir government will not free any more political prisoners or militants, it stated on Tuesday after release of separatist Masarat Alam created huge strains in the PDP-BJP coalition and uproar in Parliament.
“There is no such thing”, the State Home Secretary Suresh Kumar said on being asked whether government will continue with the release of more militants and political prisoners.
“No Public Safety Act could be re-framed against Masarat Alam, that is why he was released. Rest there is nothing more (releases)”, Kumar told PTI in Jammu.
Defending the decision to release Alam, the Home Secretary said, “There is limit of detaining someone under PSA. You can have maximum six months and one time more”.
“As per the Supreme Court Judgement you cannot detain anyone again and again on the same charge. If you have done that there should be fresh charges against him”, he said.
Asked how Alam was released when so many cases were pending against him, the state Home Secretary said, “This guy is under preventive detention since beginning of 2010. How long he can be continued under PSA? you have abide by the rule of the country.”
“Now media is making a buzz about it. Whom to explain what”, he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today met BJP chief Amit Shah in Delhi and apprised him of the situation in the state in the wake of the controversy over Alam’s release.
According to sources, Singh met Shah at his residence and informed him of the state BJP’s stand on the controversial issue and the memorandum it handed over to Sayeed.
Sources said during Nirmal Singh’s meeting with Shah, the Deputy CM told the party chief about the strong objections raised by him and other state leaders over Alam’s release, which was done unilaterally without discussion with BJP.
After the meeting, highly-placed BJP sources said a terse warning has been given to PDP top brass that “any such unilateral action will not be tolerated any more”.
The BJP central leadership has conveyed to the PDP that “remaining in power is not a priority for BJP and it will not allow any laxity on the issue of national security and in dealing with separatists and militants”, the sources said.
BJP is in an alliance with PDP in sharing power in the state after the state threw a fractured verdict in the results of assembly polls declared in December.
Other senior party leaders from the state including party president Jugal Kishore Sharma also met Shah.
The party leaders in the state had yesterday protested against Sayeed’s decision to release Alam without consulting BJP and handed over a memorandum to him, while conveying the party leadership’s “annoyance” to him over the matter.
BJP has said that there should be no further release of militants or political prisoners in Jammu and Kashmir without proper consultations between the two allies.