KL Report
SRINAGAR
Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation has expressed its concern over the fatal attacks of prisoners in India and Pakistani jails and said that the recent killings in Lahore and Kotbawal jails have yet again highlighted the hostilities between the two neighboring countries.
“We the concerned citizens of Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the killings of Sarabjit Singh in Kot Lakhpat jail in Pakistan and Sanaullah Ranjay in Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu, feel deeply concerned about the safety and welfare of prisoners of Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan languishing in various jails. The recent killings have yet again highlighted the deep hate and hostility between both the countries. It has also brought to fore the lacunas in the safety measures for the prisoners lodged in India and Pakistan”, CDR said in a joint declaration with Kashmir Civil Society Group at the end of the two day consultation in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The declaration was signed by Bashir Ahmad Dar, Dr Hameedah Nayeem, Prof Gull Mohammad Wani, Zahir u Din, Shujaat Bukhari ,Dr Rauf Malik, Khurram Parvez, Haji Yasin Khan, Zahur Ahmad. Iqbal Trumboo, Sanjay Tickoo, Ashiq Hussain, Arjimand Hussain Talib, Riyaz Wani, Annil Suri, Zafar Chaudhary, Sami Ullah Band and Dr Siddiq Wahid.
“We urge the leadership of India and Pakistan to take bold political measures for providing adequate security for these prisoners and subsequently as goodwill measure releases all the prisoners who are languishing in jails for several years as under trials”, the declaration reads, a copy of which lies with a local news agency, KNS.
“We also urge government of India to release all the political prisoners of Jammu and Kashmir so that the atmosphere of fear, denial of democratic space, hostilities and animosity is replaced by the atmosphere of genuine politics, freedom of expression and peace building. It is incumbent upon the Indian government to allow the space for political processes in Jammu and Kashmir, which would create conducive and enabling conditions for the permanent resolution of Kashmir dispute”, the declaration reads.
CDR has also demanded in its declaration that government of India should remove all the impediments for free travel of the people of Jammu and Kashmir within and outside Jammu and Kashmir. In this regard the increasing trend of attacking various leaders of Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi and other places is a matter of concern and government should take measures not only to ensure their safety but allow a space for articulating their political viewpoint in a peaceful manner.
“We also demand that government of Jammu and Kashmir should put an end to blatant use of Public Safety Act (PSA) under which number of innocents have been booked and put behind the bars.”
“Government of India should also ensure safety of Kashmiri youth studying or staying outside the state and put an end to their harassment at the hands of various agencies”, it added.
