‘Govt to abide by court orders on release of prisoners’

Unfazed by the controversy over the release of separatist Masarat Alam, Peoples Democratic Party today said the Jammu and Kashmir government will abide by the court directives on the release of political prisoners.
“Whatever the Supreme Court and courts tell us, we are going to abide by that (on release of political prisoners in future)”, senior PDP leader and Minister for Sports, Imran Raza Ansari told reporters on the sidelines of a sports event here.
Asked whether the Mufti government has written to New Delhi assuring it that the policy to release political prisoners will be put on hold, Raza said, “Whatever law says …whatever courts direct us …we have been maintaining this”.
On the issue of consulting coalition partner BJP or New Delhi, Raza said, “We are implementing authorities (of court orders)”.
“We are doing political reconciliation. Let that happen,” he said.
The PDP further said that the decision to release hardline separatist leader Masarat Alam was taken during the Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir.
“That the government had taken a view, it was decided on February 2 that he would be released and the due process was followed,” senior PDP leader and Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu told reporters here.
He accused media of making a mountain out of a molehill, “If you want to make a mountain out of a molehill it’s up to you. Media should not set the agenda of state governments. State governments have priority, they follow a process work in tandem with the government of India and due process is followed so let not media set the agenda,” he said.