Another picture of Omar Abdullah sporting unkempt beard surfaces on social media

Another picture of Omar Abdullah sporting unkempt beard surfaces on social media

A new picture of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah surfaced on social media Friday, the second photograph of him since he was detained on August 5, 2019. Omar was taken into preventive custody a day before the government abrogated provisions of Article 370 that granted special status to the erstwhile state. Earlier this year, he was slapped with the draconian J&K Public Safety Act (PSA).

In the fresh picture as well, Omar is seen with an unkempt beard. The earlier photo, taken in winter, showed the National Conference leader in the snow.

Omar, along with his father and Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah and former CM and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti remained in detention. The PSA has been slapped against all of them.

Omar Abdullah’s ability to “convince his electorate to vote in huge numbers” and Mehbooba Mufti being “referred (to) as ‘Daddy’s girl’ and ‘Kota Rani’” for “her dangerous and insidious machinations and usurping profile and nature” are among the reasons cited by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration for invoking the stringent PSA against the two former chief ministers.

Omar’s sister Sara Pilot, meanwhile, has moved the Supreme Court against his detention. The matter was adjourned to March 17 on Thursday. Seeking immediate release of her brother, Sarah’s petition stated: “It is rare that those who have served the nation as Members of Parliament, chief ministers, ministers in the Union, and have always stood by the national aspirations of India are now perceived as a threat to the state.”

It added that the grounds on which the detention has been ordered are “false and illusory to the extent of being non-existent and are not grounds within the contemplation”.

INDIAN EXPRESS

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