Azad defends Mufti's stand

JAMMU: A day after Congress chief Sonia Gandhi sought to dispel the notion that her party was supporting chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s ‘‘soft approach towards militancy’’, state party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad came out in defence of the Mufti’s decision to release militants on Tuesday. Sonia was here on Monday to visit the Raghunath Temple.
‘‘The Mufti government released Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yaseen Malik for the sixth time. If the People’s Democratic Party-Congress coalition has released him now, who released him on five occasions earlier?’’ Azad asked angrily.