Badal welcomes Abdullah's release from detention

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday welcomed the release of NC president Farooq Abdullah from home detention and expressed hope that this would be the beginning of the process of release of the detained leaders of Jammu and Kashmir.

Commenting on Abdullah's release, the former Punjab chief minister said it was a welcome step taken by the Centre and it would "help boost the country's image as a secular democracy".

He expressed the hope "that this would be the beginning of the process of release of other democratic leaders too".

In a statement issued here, Badal expressed the hope that more such steps would follow to create a congenial atmosphere "in order to facilitate the restoration of democracy and civil liberties in the valley".

Respect for secular and democratic values from all sides, he said, was a prerequisite not only for peace, communal harmony and social stability, but also a necessary condition for economic progress and prosperity to make India a leading global power.

After being in home detention for over seven months, Abdullah was released on Friday, with the government revoking the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) against the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.

The 82-year-old National Conference (NC) leader was initially taken into preventive detention on August 5 last year, the day the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution that granted a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and later slapped with the PSA.