Srinagar: The Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat faction on Wednesday expressed serious concern over the health and safety of jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik and alleged that Jammu and Kashmir’s political prisoners are being “subjected to revenge”.
Malik, who is lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail, began an indefinite hunger strike on July 22 after the Centre did not respond to his plea that he be allowed to physically appear in a Jammu court hearing the Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case, in which he is an accused.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief was admitted to the capital’s Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital earlier on Wednesday following a fluctuation in his blood pressure.
“The political prisoners of Jammu and Kashmir are being subjected to revenge for their political beliefs, and all norms of judicial justice and redressal to them (are being) ignored,” the Hurriyat Conference said in a statement.
The peoples’ leadership of Jammu and Kashmir is either put under house arrest or imprisoned in jails, which is “not only very unfortunate but also illegal”, it said.
The Hurriyat said repression on the basis of political ideologies and claims of establishing peace through detentions, bans, censorship, sanctions and repressive measures can neither change the facts nor sentiments.
“Ultimately dialogue and negotiation between all parties is the only way to resolve the long-standing Kashmir issue on a permanent basis. And it is inevitable for the establishment of stability and lasting peace and security in the region,” it added.
The Hurriyat reiterated its call for the release of all political prisoners including its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is about to complete three years of house imprisonment.
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