To press for unconditional release of political prisoners languishing within and oyside state jails, return of mortal remains of Muhammad Maqbool Bhat and Muhammad Afzal Guru and against the continuous house detention of resistance leaders, the Democratic Freedom Party today held strong protest in Lal Chowk here.The protest was led by party General Secretary Moulana Muhammad Abdullah Tari.
In a statement to KNS a spokesman of the party said the Freedom Party representatives and activists while carrying placards and banners called for release of political prisoners following which police arrested scores of members and workers including seniors Engineer Farooq Ahmad Khan, Mukhtar Ahmad Sofi, Zahoor Ahmad Sheikh, Abdul Gani, Muhammad Yousuf, Abdul Majeed, Abdul Waheed and dozens others and took them to unknown destination.
On the occasion, the protesting Freedom Party leaders while talking to press reporters demanded unconditional release of political prisoners including Dr Muhammad Qasim Faktoo, Muhammad Shafi Shariati, Muhammad Ayoub Dar, Nazir Ahmad Sheikh, Noor Muhammad Tantray, Mirza Nisar Hussain, Lateef Ahmad Bhaja, Showkat Ahmad Khan, Abdul Gani Goni, Mehmood Topiwala, Javaid Ahmad Khan, Gulzar Ahmad, Feroz Ahmad, Ghulam Quadir Bhat, Muhammad Ayoub Mir, Muhammad Rafiq, Tariq Ahmad Dar,Muhammad Ali Bhat, Parvez Ahmad Mir, Muhammad Ayoub Bhat, Feroz Ahmad Bhat, Shabir Ahmad Malik, Masarat Alam Bhat, Mushtaq Ul Islam, Zafar Akbar Bhat and many others who are also kept under continuous house arrest.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
“These political prisoners come under the ambit of 'prisoners of war' under UN Charter and keeping them behind bars for lifetime is unjustified," the leaders said, adding those slapped with PSAs are denied every right to fight their cases and are not produced before courts in order to prolong their detention,” they said.
They also lashed out at New Delhi as well as state administration over not shifting the prisoners to Valley. “Many prisoners continue to look languish in Tihar, Rajasthan, Jaipur and other jails and are treated in a very inhuman way. Many of the prisoners have completed life sentences, still they are kept behind bars which is sheer political vengeance by these administrations. This is in clear violation of Indian Supreme Court orders,” they claimed.
Terming the prisoners as assets of movement, the leaders severely criticised the head of state administration over reneging from his promises of releasing the political prisoners and termed him an incumbent chief minister who "has turned the whole valley into a virtual jail.”