Srinagar: After being in house arrest for almost a month, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti were allowed to meet their families, according to the sources.
A day before government's decision to scrap Article 370 and bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, via presidential order, former chief ministers were taken into custody as a "precautionary measure".
Omar Abdullah's family met him twice this week at Hari Niwas in Srinagar, where he was taken soon in wake of Centre’s move. His sister, Safia, and her children were also allowed to meet leader-- who has grown a beard in these days--for 20 minutes on Saturday, NDTV reported.
Safia and her aunt repeatedly visited the Deputy Commissioner's office to seek permission to visit Omar Abdullah on Monday. Earlier, on Eid, Safia first got the chance to speak with her brother when officials granted access to a phone.
Mufti's mother and sister were allowed to meet her on Thursday. Mehbooba Mufti was taken to Hari Niwas - a VVIP state guest house, moments after Rajya Sabha passed the bill to bifurcate the state into two UTs.
The repeated requests of three-time and National Conference (NC) patron Farooq Abdullah to meet his son, Omar, were also denied by the senior officials in the Jammu and Kashmir administration, who visited him thrice over the last few weeks. NC leader is also under house arrest without access to a telephone.
Sources to NDTV added that neither Omar Abdullah nor Mehbooba Mufti has access to news channels and newspapers. Officials, however, have given a DVD player to the former CMs to watch movies.
Omar goes on walks on the premises of Hari Niwas and reads books on his Kindle tablet sources said.
In light of Government's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, mobile internet and landline phone connections were blocked. In several places, public meetings or rallies were banned too.
