Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir authorities had withdrawn the house arrest of the leaders of nine political parties in the state on Wednesday. The Government imposed arrests of nearly 4000 political leaders in the state on August 5^th, which the Article 370 abrogated and made into two Union Territories.

   Former Chief Ministers of J &K Farooq Abdullah (83), Omar Abdullah (NCP) and PDP Chief Mahabooba Mufti were house arrested under the PSA. Since then they are under the house arrest.

   As per the sources the leaders were freed from the house arrests to facilitate their participation in the coming elections for Block Development Councils, the 2^nd tier of the Panchayat Raj system in J & K. the polling for over 300 BDCs will be held on October 24^th and counting will be taking on same. Nearly 26000 Panchayat members are eligible to vote.

  Half a dozen mainstream political leaders of the valley and activists belonging to the People’s Democratic Party and People’s Conference among the detainees, were recently released after they reportedly signed bonds to swear they would not indulge in any political activity over the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A or related issues to ensure their release.

  Police sources said the Jammu politicians whose house arrest had been ended include National Conference’s provincial President Devender Singh Rana, his party colleagues Surjit Singh Salathia, Javed Rana and Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo, Congress Raman Bhalla and Vikar Rasool.

 Nearly 4000 people were arrested, taken into preventive custody or placed under house arrest in J & K since the abrogation of the state’s special status on August 5^th. Among those Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mahabooba Mufti and over 200 other senior and second-rung leaders of mainstream parties, including former Ministers and legislators.