Daily Times

India authorities have released veteran political leader Farooq Abdullah after seven months as he was detained following the revocation of Indian occupied Kashmir.

An Indian official confirmed that the government was revoking Abdullah’s detention “with immediate effect”, while no reasons were provided.

Upon his release and with his relatives by his side, the 82-year-old expressed relief that he was free but had words of caution that the fight for the embattled region was far from over. In Srinagar, Kashmir’s main city, the prominent lawmaker told reporters: “This freedom will be complete when all the other Kashmiri leaders are released … I hope I will able to go to Delhi and attend parliament and speak for you, the people of Kashmir,” he said.

Senior official Rohit Kansal announced the news of Abdullah’s release on Twitter, sharing a copy of the revocation order issued by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir Home Department.

Abduallah served three times as the chief minister of India-administered Kashmir and is also a member of the Indian parliament.

Along with his son Omar, Abdullah and several other top Kashmiri politicians, were among thousands taken into custody following last year’s clampdown. Abdulah’s son, a former chief minister, remains under detention.

Himalayan Kashmir has been the subject of a tussle between India and Pakistan that has raged since partition after British colonial rule in 1947. The region has witnessed a separatist insurgency since the 1980s, in which tens of thousands have perished.