SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday appealed to the Union government to allow the family of incarcerated separatist leader Shabir Ahmad Shah to be present during his cancer treatment, citing humanitarian grounds.
Shabir Shah incarcerated in Tihar Jail for a considerable period is reportedly suffering from prostate cancer & is in urgent need of surgery. Deeply unfortunate that the Courts have barred his family from being present during his treatment. Appeal the Home Secretary Govind Mohan…
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 19, 2025
Shah, who has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2017, is reportedly suffering from prostate cancer and has been advised urgent surgery. According to sources close to his family, Shah has insisted on the presence of a family member during the treatment but has so far been denied this request. They allege he has not been allowed phone contact with his family, and the latest update on his health reached them only through another inmate’s family.
In a post on X, Mufti wrote, “Shabir Shah, incarcerated in Tihar Jail for a considerable period, is reportedly suffering from prostate cancer and is in urgent need of surgery. Deeply unfortunate that the courts have barred his family from being present during his treatment.”
She urged Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to intervene and ensure that compassion and care are extended to Shah in this “critical time.”
Shah, 74, was arrested in 2017 by the Enforcement Directorate in a 2005 money laundering case. He is also under trial in a 2017 terror funding case filed by the NIA. The Delhi High Court recently denied him bail, citing the possibility of his influencing witnesses or indulging in similar activities.
There has been no official response yet from the Ministry of Home Affairs or Tihar Jail authorities regarding Mufti’s appeal.
