Farooq Abdullah calls meeting to discuss `illegal house detention' of NC leaders

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference party chief Farooq Abdullah has invited senior party members for a meeting at his residence on Thursday to discuss the matter of "illegal house detention" of party functionaries.

In a release, the party said that it has noticed that the government has unequivocally submitted before the High Court that "no leader is under detention" and that "they are free to move subject to necessary security arrangements".

"Now relying fully on the stand of the government before the HC that the members are free to move and expecting no hogwash on part of the government, the Party President Dr Farooq Abdullah has invited senior party members including Ali Mohammad Sagar, Abdul Rahim Rather, Mohammad Shafi Uri and Nasir Aslam W for a meeting at his residence on August 20 at 5 pm," the release said.

The party said that it is hopeful that the liberty of the members under detention is now absolute and the meeting is held successfully on the appointed day.

Party President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah on July 13 filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court challenging the "unconstitutional and illegal house detention" of 16 party leaders and functionaries.

Several leaders were detained after the abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year, and bifurcated the region into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

( With inputs from ANI )