Srinagar, July 31 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, senior Kashmiri Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani has expressed serious concern over the deteriorating conditions of more than 1500 detainees languishing in different jails of Jammu and Kashmir and India.
After meeting the detainees in Central Jail Srinagar, Syed Ali Gilani described the deteriorating conditions and continuous detention of detainees as gross human rights violation. He said that Kashmir is a political issue and its disputed nature has been accepted at international level and people taken into custody during the ongoing movement come under the parameters of political prisoners. The Hurriyet leader said that it was a gross violation of international norms to register counter insurgency cases against persons involved in dealing with political issues or crisis.
Syed Ali Gilani pointed out that a number of Kashmiri prisoners were undergoing detention without any trial in court and many others have not been released even after the court has acquitted them of charges levelled against them. He appealed the international human rights organizations including International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) to press the government of India to release the prisoners. The Hurriyet leader said that the prolonged detention of prisoners was a human rights issue and it was obligatory for the international rights organizations to use their influence to get the prisoners released.
According to the details, there are 375 prisoners undergoing detention in Central Jail Srinagar, 325 in Kot Bhalwal, 260 in Tihar, 90 in Kathua, 90 in Udhumpur, 74 in sub-jail Baramulla, 30 in Sangroor Punjab, 12 in Agra and 25 others in Lucknow, Meerut, Jaipur and Mumbai.
Reacting to a news report about a case against him, Syed Ali Gilani strongly denied the allegation of police and army that the protestors led by him vandalised the Operation Sadbhavana property in Sopore. He described the allegation as baseless. Senior Kashmiri leader also denied the allegation that he visited Hadipora. "I did not visit Hadipora. It is a big lie,” he added.