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Abdullahs return dullah and Omar? It is again a matter of

speculation.
Two leaders eschewing any mention
of Article 370 on their release hasn’t gone
Dr Farooq Abdullah and his son Farooq Abdullah’s release, external af- done well with the people.
It was odd considering the people in
fairs minister S Jaishankar had arrived
Omar Abdullah refuse to make on a surprise visit to Kashmir. The main Kashmir were waiting for seven months
any political statement about purpose of the minister’s visit was not for them to come out and talk about this
known. It was said that the Union min-
thing only. But both the leaders not only
their release, saying they will not ister was in the Valley to visit the Srina- refused to be drawn into taking a pub-
talk about the current situation gar passport office located on the banks lic position on the withdrawal of J&K’s
until all other detained leaders of Dal Lake in Boulevard area of the city special status but have also kept people
and the Passport Seva Kendra in Baram-
guessing about their future course of
are freed, reports riyaz wani ulla district of north Kashmir. Both the action.
destinations, however, are too common- On the day senior Abdullah was re-
place to have merited a union minister’s leased, he visited the mausoleum of his
obody had expected Dr Fa- visit. Was there any connection between father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on
rooq Abdullah and the son Jaishankar’s visit and the release of Ab- the banks of Dal lake at Hazratbal. On the
Omar Abdullah to be de-
tained on August 5 last year
N when New Delhi stripped
J&K of its semi-autonomous status. And
nobody again expected them to be re-
leased one after another in March.
In their respective interaction with
media soon after their release, father and
son refused to make any political state-
ment, saying they will not talk about the
current situation until all other detained
leaders were released.
In the Valley, the release of Abdullahs
itself has become a subject of much de-
bate and speculation. How did they come
to be freed when a few weeks ago, the
government extended the Public Safety
Act of Omar Abdullah and the PDP presi-
dent Mehbooba Mufti, the two former
chief ministers and some other promi-
nent leaders including the former IAS of-
ficer turned politician Shah Faesal.
There is no clear answer to it. But a
few developments over the past several
weeks can offer a clue as to what must
have led to it.
In early February former RAW chief
A S Dulat had met senior Abdullah at his
Gupkar residence. However, at the time
Dulat had refused to talk about the meet-
ing with the media. Later in an opinion
piece in a national daily Dulat defended
Abdullah family saying three genera-
tions of Abdullahs had stood by India
and now “were in prison because of our
prejudices”.
Also on March 9, just four days before

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