Srinagar, Feb 23 (IANS): Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Peoples Conference (PC) chief Sajjad Lone on Saturday questioned the wisdom behind the detention of dozens of Jamaat-e-Islami cadres.

Reacting to the overnight raids across the valley in which dozens of group's leaders were detained, Mufti tweeted: "In the past 24 hours, Hurriyat leaders and workers of Jamaat organisation have been arrested.

"Fail to understand such an arbitrary move which will only precipitate matters... Under what legal grounds are their arrests justified? You can imprison a person but not his ideas."

Lone, former state minister, also questioned: "Government seems to be on an arrest spree. Just a word of caution. Large scale arrests took place in 1990."

"Leaders were ferried to Jodhpur and many jails across the country. Things worsened. This is a tried tested and failed model. Please desist from it. It won't work. Things will worsen," Lone said in his reaction to the detentions.

The raids were carried out during the night in south, central and north Kashmir areas in which dozens of Jamaat leaders, including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, were detained.

Yasin Malik, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) was also taken into custody and lodged in a police station on Friday.