Srinagar, Aug 16: Hurriyat Conference leader, Ayaz Mohammad Akbar was today released after 16 months of detention in various jails and interrogation Centres in Jammu and Kashmir Considered to be a close Lieutenant of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Akbar was arrested near Hurriyat Headquarters here under public safety act on March eight 2002 and was released from Parimpora police station this afternoon, police said He was shifted to the police station from joint interrogation Centre a few days back for his release, the police said. Welcoming Akabr's release, Hurriyat Conference described his detention as unlawful and said the PSA against him was quashed by a court last month.


Meanwhile, Hurriyat expressed concern over what it called deterioating condition of peoples' league chairman and executive member of the conference Sheikh Abdul Aziz, undergoing detention at Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan.

Hurriyat is also concerned over the continued detention of Farooq Ahmad Tawheedi, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Mohammad Saleem Zargar, Ashiq Hussain, Faktoo Mohammad Qasim, Shoukat Ahmad Naqash, Fayaz Ahmad Zargbar and Mohammad Mohammad Kapraw as some of them are behind bars for the past 13 years. Bureau Report