Not just three former chief ministers and an IAS topper, thelist of those detained in Jammu and Kashmir a fortnight into the J&KReorganisation Bill 2019 includes a former Union minister, seven former stateministers, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Srinagar, and a number of legislators

While there are talks within the government on easing thesecurity clampdown in the state after the abrogation of Article 370 on August5, there is no official word yet on when the detained leaders will be released.Thosedetained also include lawyers, businessmen, professors, members of the J&KBar Association and civil society. Some of the key political figures who havebeen detained: Farooq Abdullah: Three-time CM and former Union minister,Abdullah is president of the National Conference (NC), and Srinagar MP.

Mehbooba Mufti: Former CM Mufti is president of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP). A former Parliamentarian, she was elected to the stateassembly thrice. Omar Abdullah: Former CM Omar was a Union MoS in the A BVajpayee-led NDA-1 government.

Sajad Lone: Close BJP ally, he once referred to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi as his elder brother. Separatist-turned-mainstreamleader, he heads the Peoples Conference. He was a minister in the PDP-BJPgovernment and once seen as the BJP’s CM candidate.

Junaid Mattu: Mayor of Srinagar, Mattu was projected byGovernor Satya Pal Malik as the new face of Kashmiri politics. When the PrimeMinister visited Kashmir, Mattu was given the honour of officially receivinghim. He was recently diagnosed with a bone marrow disorder.

Shah Faesal: Bureaucrat-turned-politician, and firstKashmiri to top the IAS, Faesal heads the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Movement, amainstream party he formed after resigning from the civil services.

Waheed Parra: In 2018, when the PDP-BJP government’spopularity was at a low, he organised a sports show for Rajnath Singh inSrinagar, earning praise from the then Home Minister. He is youth president ofPDP.Ghulam Ahmad Mir: President of the Pradesh Congress, Mir is a former MLA.Saifuddin Soz: Former president of the Pradesh Congress, he is a former MP andUnion minister in the UPA-1 government.

Naeem Akhtar: Former minister in the PDP-BJP government,Akhtar is a close aide of Mehbooba Mufti. Ali Mohammad Sagar: Former stateminister and general secretary of NC, Sagar was elected to the assembly forfour consecutive terms. Abdul Rahim Rather: Former state finance minister, theNC leader was elected to the assembly seven times.

Mohammad Shafi: NC veteran, he is a former MP and hasrepresented Uri in the assembly several times. Ghulam Hassan Mir: Former stateminister, Mir is a founding member of PDP.

Hakim Yasin: Three-time independent legislator, Yasin headsthe Jammu Kashmir Peoples Democratic Front. M Y Tarigami: Veteran Communist andCPM state secretary, he was elected to the assembly for four consecutive terms.Imran Ansari: Influential Shia leader, he was a senior minister in the PDP-BJPgovernment. A friend of Sajad Lone, he joined Peoples Conference last year.

Mubarak Gul: Senior NC leader, Gul was elected to theassembly from Eidgah for four consecutive terms. Khalida Shah: Sister of FarooqAbdullah and wife of former J&K CM Ghulam Mohammad Shah, she is the patronof Awami National Conference. Mohammad Ashraf Mir: Junior minister in thePDP-BJP government, he defeated Omar Abdullah in 2014 assembly elections.AjazMir: Former PDP legislator and lawyer, he hails from Wachi, known as a hotbedof militancy in South Kashmir’s Shopian. Noor Mohammad Bhat: Former PDPlegislator, he represented Batamaloo in the assembly. Khurshid Alam: WasSrinagar president of PDP and member of state legislative council.

Bashir Veeri: NC leader from South Kashmir, he was a memberof the legislative council. Syed Akhoon: NC leader, Akhoon is a formerlegislator. Tanvir Sadiq: NC leader, he is political advisor to Omar Abdullah.Sheikh Imran: He is the Deputy Mayor of Srinagar.

When asked how long the detentions will continue, and whatthe future of these politicians are, Minister of State (PMO) Jitendra Singhtold The Indian Express at the Idea Exchange event: “Actually I don’t see anyfuture for them. They are also realising that their political innings has cometo an end. It is only some section of the media that wants to see some future,so that the story can carry on. The story has ended.”