In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has questioned the silence of international and Indian rights organisations over the rights of Kashmiri prisoners languishing in different jails in India and the territory.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressing a public gathering at historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, today, said t hundreds of Kashmiri political prisoners lodged in various prisons across India and Kashmir are not criminals but those heeding to the voice of their conscience and following their dream of striving for their people’s just right to self-determination and being punished for it.
Mirwaiz said the authorities, under draconian laws have booked leaders, activists and youth in made up cases and are subjecting them to illegal detention for years and decades, which is highly condemnable. He said the prolonged and in many cases perpetual detention of Kashmiri inmates is the worst form of human rights violation.
He said most of Kashmiri prisoners have been shifted from Valley to various Indian prisons in brazen violation of the Geneva convention that lays emphasis on keeping the prisoners in prisons closer to their homes and also its own Supreme Court verdict.
Giving details Mirwaiz said many political prisoners lodged in various jails even after completing their sentence include Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Javaid Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Ayoub Khan, Mirza Nisar Hussain, Lateef Ahmed Waza, Ali Muhammad Butt, Abdul Ghani Goni, Ghulam Qadir Butt, Dr Muhammad Shafi Khan, Feroz Ahmed Khan, Pervez Ahmed Mir, Maqsood Ahmed Butt, Bilal Ahmed Kuta, Ghulam Muhammad Butt at Kotbalwal jail, Muhammad Aslam Gojar, Muhammad Ayoub Mir, Muhammad Ayoub Dar, Showkat Ahmed Khan, Nazir Ahmed Sheikh, Farooq Ahmad Sheikh and Muhammad Abbas Wani.
He said the health of all these prisoners keeps deteriorating due to prolonged detention. Mirwaiz said many of these prisoners are not even produced in courts for trial which is extremely inhumane and illegal.
Mirwaiz said that institutions like NIA and ED are also used against the Hurriyat leadership and activists to put them in jails without any evidence or on fake charges.
He said that this year leadership and activists including Shabir Ahmad Shah, Shahid-ul-Islam, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Dr Ghulam Mohammad Butt, Peer Saifullah, Ayaz Akbar, Meraj-u-Din Kalwal, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Shahid Yusuf, Zahoor Ahmad Watali, Asia Andrabi, Fahmeedah Sofi and Naheedah Nasreen will complete two years in Tihar jail without trial.
