KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
While appealing the people to observe solidarity with the Kashmiri prisoners on 17 June (Friday) and organize special prayers for their release on this day, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (m) chief Syed Ali Geelani Monday termed the continuous imprisonment of the pro-freedom leader Masarat Alam Bhat since last 6 years as “extreme cruelty”.
“He is being subjected to the political vengeance on the directions of the New Delhi otherwise the government have no moral or constitutional justification in keeping him in prison,” Geelani said.
While demanding release of all the political prisoners including the pro-freedom leaders Ameer Hamzah Shah, Mohammad Yousuf Lone, Mir Hafizullah, Mohammad Shafi Lone, Abdullah Nasir, Hakeem Showkat Ahmad, Assadullah Parray, Mohammad Amin Parray, Mehraj-Ud-Din Nandah, Manzoor Ahmad Kupwara and Zubair Ahmad Turray before the Eid, Geelani said, “the policy of the government regarding the prisoners is extremely harsh and unfair which indicates the level of respect which the rulers have towards the human and moral values.”
He also demanded that status of the pro-freedom leaders Dr Mohammad Qasim Faktoo, Ghulam Qadir Bhat, Dr Mohammad Shafi Khan Sharity, Mohammad Amin Dar, Hilal Ahmad Palla, Mohammad Sayed Bhat, Bashir Ahmad Sehmat, Mohammad Yousuf Wani and Ghulam Nabi Shaikh who are serving the life imprisonment and the other political prisoners who are lodged in notorious Tihar Jail Delhi who include Dr Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, Mohammad Rafiq Shah, Tariq Ahmad Dar, Javaid Fazli, Mahmood Tipiwalla and another Kashmiri detainee in Gujarat jail Bashir Ahmad Baba should be accepted as of political prisoners and also demanded their unconditional release.
In a statement issued this evening, Geelani said, “Masarat Alam Bhat was released from a long imprisonment in March 2015 and was rearrested after a very short span of time. His arrest was made on the basis of a media trial run by the Indian biased media against him otherwise he had done nothing wrong which should have landed him in jail.”
The octogenarian leader said, “although late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed released Masarat Alam Bhat to gain the political mileage but he couldn’t withstand the pressure from his masters from New Delhi and he without and justification once again imprisoned the Masarat sahab.”
The Hurriyat (g) chief added, “the re-arrest of Masarat Alam Bhat was also a proof that the state government in Jammu & Kashmir is merely a show piece and all the decisions directly come from the Indian home ministry.”
Expressing his surprise over the silence of the state judiciary over the continuous imprisonment (preventive detention) of Masarat Alam Bhat, Geelani said, “his detention is not only illegal but it is also the murder of justice and the judiciary can’t prove itself to be neutral in this regard. The state high court should have taken the suo motu action in the case of continuous detention of Masarat Alam Bhat.”
Geelani said, “enough is enough, now the government should immediately release Masarat Alam sahab from his illegal detention.”
Demanding the release of all the political prisoners of Kashmir before the Eid, Geelani sahab said that the releasing of the detainees on the occasions of religious event has been an age old tradition of every ruler but this process has been banned in Kashmir since last few years.
He said that presently there are dozens of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leaders under the preventive detention and they are not being released. They have been kept under the illegal detention and their rights are not being respected.
He also expressed his deep concern over the reports that the prisoners are being subjected to the political vengeance in the jails and they are not being provided with the basic amenities there. “No adequate arrangements are available for the treatment of the ill prisoners in the jails and they are being treated as criminals there.”
The ailing leader appealed the human rights organizations to take serious notice of the miserable condition of the Kashmiri prisoners and use your influence for their release.
