"Yes, my Govt detained Masarat Alam & we kept him out of circulation. Detention isn't ideal but difficult situations have to be tackled," Abdullah tweeted shortly after the release of the separatist leader.
Stating that Alam was "the chief architect" of the anti-national protests of 2010, Omar said that his detention ensured peace in the Valley even during the time of Afzal Guru's execution in 2013 and even allowed for smooth elections.
"Which ever way I look at it Alam's detention saved lives AND allowed a smother safer pair of elections so I have no regrets at all," he said in another tweet.
Omar also said that whether Alam has turned "a new leaf" and "done a deal with Mufti Syed" or he will go back to organising trouble in the Valley, only "time can tell".
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