Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with party president Mehbooba Mufti during an election rally in Anantnag of Jammu and Kashmir on Nov 11, 2014.IANS

The release of Hurriyat leader Masrat Alam on Saturday not only sparked a massive debate in Parliament, it has also evoked anger among ordinary people, with Twitterati even calling the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed "ProPakCM".

The Sayeed-led PDP-BJP government ordered Alam's release in the absence of evidence in the cases against him. The PDP's ally in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP, too expressed its disappointment at the decision taken by the Mufti government; the BJP's youth wing in the state called a protest on Sunday.

However, recent revelations in connection with the release of the Hurriyat leader suggest that the process to release Alam was set in motion on 4 February, when the state was still under governor's rule, NDTV had said, citing official correspondence.

The 4 February letter by the state's home secretary Suresh Kumar to Jammu district magistrate said the government order to detain Alam became void after the state home department failed to confirm it within the stipulated time of 12 days. 

The authorities did not make a new case for Alam's detention subsequently. This led the magistrate to conclude on 4 March that Alam's preventive detention has "not been approved by the government", paving the way for Alam's release.  

The reason his release has resulted in an uproar across India is because Alam has been waging war against India and demanding independence for Jammu & Kashmir. He has also been accused of young Kashmiris to join his fight against India. 

Alam led the 2010 unrest in Kashmir in which about 110 people were killed and over 500 injured in a series of protests, stone-pelting and riots. He is also said to have coined several slogans such as "Go India, Go back".

Several people on Twitter vent their anger at Sayeed for his "anti-national" decision and even called him "terrorist" politician.