Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday termed political situation in Jammu and Kashmir as extremely painful even as he questioned whether prisoners of Kashmir has no rights.
Addressing a Friday gathering, Mirwaiz at the historic Jamia Masjid, he said that the information received from jails regarding the plight of detainees was deeply disturbing and a matter of serious concern for the leadership and the people of Kashmir.
He said that the treatment meted out to Kashmiri detainees and under trials lodged particularly in Jammu central jail Kotbalwal,Kathua and Tihar jail “is deliberately inhuman”.
He said that it was aimed not so much at physically torturing them but to break their will and determination and affect them psychologically.
Mirwaiz said that these detainees are not criminals but political prisoners who are being subject to detention for their political convictions and outlook and dealing with them inhumanly was not only a violation of the Geneva conventions of the rights and dignity of prisoners but even against basic human practices and ethics. He said that the vengeful treatment to which they are subject to during detention includes off and on solitary confinement, manhandling of leadership by dreaded criminals posing a grave threat to their lives, unavailability of medicines and medical care and substandard quality of food including only pulses provided to them. He said that even the visitors and relatives who come to see them in jail are also deliberately harassed and tormented by the authorities.
“All this is done in complete violation of the jail manual which lays emphasis on the honor and dignity of prisoners.”
Mirwaiz termed the silence of international organizations towards the plight of Kashmiri prisoners as unfortunate and stated that there are dozens of prisoners who have already completed their term but continue to languish in prisons while many prisoners are under trials whose trials are repeatedly deferred. He said that even when the prisoners lodged under the notorious PSA complete their term, police and related agencies are ready with another dossier to prolong their detention mostly under fictitious charges. “Kashmiri prisoners have no human rights,” Mirwaiz said, adding, “Repeatedly we are appealing Indian and international human rights organizations including Amnesty International, Asia watch ICRC to get a firsthand account of this pathetic situation of Kashmiri prisoners by on spot inspection of jails where Kashmiri prisoners are lodged to see for themselves what they are going through and take up the matter with the Indian Government.” He said it was their moral and legal duty.
Mirwaiz said that Kashmiri political prisoners including Shabir Ahmed Shah, Shahidul Islam, Altaf Ahmed Fantoosh, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehrajudin Kalwal, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Muhammad Sidiq Ganai, Dr Muhammad Qasim, Asiya Andrabi, Zahoor Watali, Fehmeeda Sofi, Masrat Alam Bhat, Muhammad Shafi Khan, Atif Ahmed, Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Ghulam Jeelani, Farooq Ahmed Daga, Muhammad Sidiq Ganai, Muzaffar Ahmed, Aqib Ahmad and hundreds of other prisoners including children should be released forthwith. Mirwaiz said there was no justification for the authorities to lodge them behind the bars.
Referring to the satiation, Mirwaiz said political situation of Jammu and Kashmir was extremely painful.
“Whether south Kashmir or north Kashmir, the manner in which youth are tormented is an eye opener for the world community especially human rights bodies,” he said.
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