Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday led a protest and later addressed a press conference in Srinagar, demanding the release of political prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir who remain confined in various jails across India.
Accompanied by party workers, Mehbooba Mufti staged a peaceful demonstration that was intercepted by police. Speaking to reporters afterward, she accused authorities of suppressing their democratic right to protest. “We held a peaceful protest seeking the release of political prisoners, and you all witnessed how we were stopped and treated like enemies,” she said.
Mehbooba highlighted the plight of several senior leaders, including Shabir Shah and Amir Jamat, who continue to be incarcerated, and noted that many detainees are suffering from chronic illnesses while their families struggle to make ends meet.
According to the news agency Kashmir News Trust, the PDP chief recalled that her party had previously moved a resolution in the Assembly seeking the transfer of Kashmiri prisoners back to local jails, but the proposal was ignored. She urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take the lead in facilitating their return. “I requested Omar Abdullah to constitute an all-party delegation to visit these jails or, if that is not possible, at least send two or three ministers to assess the situation. At the very least, he should meet the Home Minister and request that Kashmiri prisoners be shifted back to jails in Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.
Questioning the prolonged detentions, Mehbooba noted that undertrials from Kashmir have spent years in jail as court proceedings drag on, while in other cases even convicts are released on parole. “Think for a moment—senior incarcerated leaders are suffering, but what about poor prisoners whose families lack the means to seek their release? Even rapists are released on parole, yet Kashmiri prisoners continue to languish. I am not doing politics but raising this issue on humanitarian grounds,” she stressed.
The PDP president called on the government to release detainees who face no serious charges, warning that neglecting the humanitarian aspect of the issue will only deepen alienation among the people.
