Joint Hurriyat protests against prisoners’ relocation

Srinagar, Feb 27: Joint Hurriyat Leadership on Tuesday accused the ruling PDP of “handing over” Jammu and Kashmir to BJP for retaining its power in the state.
The leadership, comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Yasin Malik, had called for a sit-in protest at Jamia Masjid here on Tuesday against the shifting of prisoners to jails outside the Valley.
Parents of several prisoners participated in the protest.
In his telephonic address to the gathering, Geelani, who is under house detention, said, “The state’s ruling party has handed over JK to the BJP to save its chair.”
“This government has failed to stop the tyranny being inflicted on Kashmiris,” he said.
The octogenarian leader said that the ruling coalition was not concerned about the sufferings of Kashmiris.
“Lakhs have been killed, but no attention is being paid towards Kashmir,” he said.
He warned of “serious consequences” if the political prisoners lodged in the outside jails were not shifted to Kashmir.
“Prisoners are being shifted to Jammu and Delhi, because a militant escaped from the SMHS Hospital. Their relatives are not able to meet them. They are being subjected to mental and physical torture in jails,” he said.
He said taking the inmates to outside Kashmir was “unconstitutional”.
“According to the Supreme Court directives, detainees shall be lodged in the places where their relatives can easily meet them. The direction is not being followed,” he said.
Following the escape of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant, the authorities have decided to shift the militants lodged in Kashmir to prisons outside the Valley.
The Union Home Ministry has, reportedly, decided to also isolate the separatists, Pakistani, and Kashmiri militants from other inmates.
Geelani said, “India has illegally occupied JK. It is their policy to kill those demanding freedom.”
“The pro-India parties are strengthening Indian occupation here. Those having lost their children are still voting in elections. People shall stay away from elections and shall follow Islamic principles. Youth shall stay away from alcohol and wasting time in unproductive activities,” he said.
Mirwaiz, who also addressed the gathering over phone, said it was a “dual-policy” of the government of India to shift prisoners outside in violation of SC directives.
“Anger is brewing up due to policies of the government,” he said.
Leading the protest, Malik said the prisoners were being shifted for “political” vendetta.
“The pro-freedom people are being booked on frivolous charges, as government did in the DSP case,” Malik said. “I met with the youth arrested in the DSP-lynching case. Ninety per cent of them were not present at the crime scene,” he said.
He said the relatives of the prisoners were not being allowed to meet them.
“It is because of the state’s MLAs, who have strengthened the Indian occupation and allow Indian forces to kill Kashmiris without any impunity because of the draconian laws,” he said.