Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday urged the Central government to show compassion and release ailing separatist leaders on humanitarian grounds.
In a statement, the Mirwaiz expressed serious concern over the deteriorating health of Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah and JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik.
He said Shah’s wife informed him that their daughter, after meeting her father in jail after a month, found him in a critical state — “dying a silent death due to rapidly deteriorating health and multiple complications, without access to urgent medical care or hospitalisation.”
The Mirwaiz said the family had requested authorities to shift Shah to his home and convert it into a makeshift jail so that he could receive proper medical attention and family care.
“This has deeply alarmed me. I once again fervently appeal to the Central government to show compassion and, on humanitarian grounds, release Shabir Shah or at least allow him home detention where his family can look after him,” the Mirwaiz said.
He added that the family of JKLF chief Yasin Malik had also conveyed that prolonged imprisonment had severely affected Malik’s physical and mental health, and he too required immediate medical attention.
The Mirwaiz appealed to the authorities to ensure adequate medical treatment for Malik and other detainees.
“It is deeply distressing to hear about the pain and suffering these and other political prisoners are enduring,” he said, adding that reports of the worsening health and harsh jail conditions of Kashmiri detainees both within and outside Jammu and Kashmir were “equally concerning.”
Calling it a matter of human compassion beyond politics, the Mirwaiz urged the government to ensure immediate medical care for all ailing detainees and appealed to the judiciary to consider their cases on humanitarian grounds.
He also called upon J&K’s elected representatives, particularly those from the ruling party, to come together and play their part in seeking the release and relief of Kashmiri prisoners.
