J&K admin gone to great lengths to prevent Para from taking oath as DDC member: Mehbooba

Srinagar, Jan 24: Reiterating that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Para’s arrest was ‘politically motivated’, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday alleged that the J&K administration has gone to great lengths to prevent him from taking oath as District Development Council (DDC) member.

Ms Mehbooba, who is the president of PDP, further alleged that the even after getting bail from NIA court, Para was immediately booked by J&K police on ‘vague charges’.

The PDP president was reacting to reports that the J&K High Court has stayed the NIA court’s order for virtual oath taking of Para, who was arrested days after he filed nomination papers for the DDC elections on November 25, 2020.

“J&K admin has gone to great lengths to prevent PDPs @parawahid from taking oath as DDC member. Fact remains that his arrest is politically motivated as even after getting bail from NIA court he was immediately booked by CIK on vague charges. @dcpulwama,” Ms Mehbooba wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.

Para was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) about five days after he filed his nomination paper for District Development Council (DDC) DDC seat from Pulwama. However, he won after his family members and other PDP leader campaigned in his favour.

Nearly one-and-a-half month after his arrest by the NIA on charges of alleged terror links, Para was on January 10 granted bail by Special Judge Sunit Gupta, holding that “offences, particularly falling under Unlawful Activities Act (UAPA), are not prima facie made out against the applicant/accused”.

But, hours after his release, the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK), a wing of J&K police, re-arrested the PDP leader.

Para, who was instrumental in the revival of the PDP in south Kashmir, especially in militancy-hit Pulwama, allegedly surfaced during the probe into the suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh case. Singh was arrested while ferrying two HM militants out of the valley in a vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway earlier this year.