After two months, Abdullahs allowed to meet party leaders

National Conference chief Omar Abdullah and his father and party patriarch Farooq Abdullah were allowed to meet their party leaders for the first time yesterday since he was put in detention two months ago.

After the meet, party leaders said the party would not participate in the elections for the Block Development Council -- the second tier of the Panchayat Raj system in the state -- because the "entire leadership is in jail".

The government had relaxed the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir days after the announcement of the Block Development elections. While all detained political leaders in Jammu were released, Farooq Khan, advisor to Governor Satya Pal Malik, said the Kashmiri leaders would be released in a phased manner.

Around 400 political leaders of the state - were placed under detention or house arrest as part of the statewide lockdown to prevent any backlash as the government announced its move to end special status granted to the state under the Article 370 and bifurcated it into two Union Territories on August 4.

PDP chief and former CM Mehbooba Mufti and Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference chairman Sajjad Lone were also detained. Mehbooba was to meet her party leaders today, sources said.

Meanwhile, US Senator Elizabeth Warren on Saturday became the second presidential candidate of the Democratic party to voice concerns over the communications lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir. The influential American politician's statement comes a month after fellow Democrat Bernie Sanders expressed similar concerns.