Srinagar, Dec 26: Asserting that families of Kashmiris languishing in jails outside the Valley “need justice”, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday said her party will fight tooth and nail for bringing back Kashmiri prisoners to jails in J&K.
“The judiciary was our last resort, but the High Court turned down our PIL, stating that I am a politician. I would like to ask whether we have the right to raise issues about common people or not?,” asked Mehbooba, while addressing a press conference here at PDP headquarters.
Mehbooba said she had written in February to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police seeking details about the number of detainees and undertrials lodged outside Kashmir, but no response was received. She said letters were subsequently sent to the Union Home Minister and the Home Secretary requesting the transfer of undertrials to jails within Kashmir, but the appeals yielded no outcome.
She said, “making her political profile as a basis for turning down the PIL was unfortunate.” She added. “Article 21 of the Constitution gives us a fundamental right that we can deliberate on these issues and even approach the court,”
The PDP President said her party will continue its struggle to “fight for rights of Kashmiris put up in jails outside J&K.” She said in view of the distress caused to families of these jailed persons, her request to CM Omar Abdullah would be to utilise National Conference’s representation in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to make the central government table information about J&K’s undertrials and convicts on the floor of the House.
“I had requested CM Omar to constitute a team, if not of PDP leaders but even its own members, to visit jails outside J&K to get a first-hand account of the condition of Kashmiri inmates. It has been more than a year since MP Aga Ruhulla in the Parliament. I would even request him to take up the issue of prisoners in the Parliament,” said Mehbooba.
The former CM said that while the health conditions of several prominent incarcerated persons is known to everyone, the fate of poor undertrials languishing in jails across India is a mystery. “ By no means should the centre compromise with the security, but not every prisoner falls in this hypersensitive category. Many of these undertrials, who don’t have serious charges, could be lodged in Jammu jails, which would make it feasible for their families to atleast meet them once in a while,” said the PDP President.
Mufti said PDP will take this issue of the prisoners to a “logical conclusion”, while also urging CM Omar Abdullah to “utilise his good offices in Delhi” for getting first-hand information on the undertrials.
“Only a few days back, Omar Sahab said that New Delhi was paying heed to all his requirements. It is high time that the J&K government deputes a team to jails outside J&K to get a sense of the condition of Kashmiri prisoners,” said Mehbooba.
When asked whether PDP would approach the Supreme Court with the PIL regarding return of prisoners to J&K jails, Mehbooba said her party “will discuss this issue internally before taking a decision.”
Commenting on the development, which saw Mirwaiz Umer Farooq drop his Hurriyat Conference affiliation from his X handle, Mehbooba said: “This is a personal decision of the Mirwaiz. But as far as Hurriyat is concerned, all its leadership is in jail. There is a strong need to address the issue of alienation.”