Represented Kashmiris’ aspirations in speeches: Jailed Shabbir Shah tells Indian SC
New Delhi: Illegally detained senior Kashmiri Hurriyat leader, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, told the Indian Supreme Court that his speeches reflected the aspirations of the people in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, a bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, while hearing Shabir Shah’s bail plea in a fake case, directed India’s notorious National Investigation Agency (NIA) to produce a couple of Shah’s speeches and other relevant facts. Shabbir Shah has been in jail since his arrest by the NIA in June, 2019, and is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
Appearing for Shabbir Shah, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves told the court that his client never indulged in violence, nor provoked others to do so. “I never threw stones. Nor did I instigate anyone. I sat with five prime ministers of India to solve the issue of Kashmir,” Gonsalves submitted, adding that Shah’s statements only represented the pain and aspirations of the Kashmir people. “We have all the pictures of him with the prime ministers. They asked him what can be done to sort out the issues. They did it because they knew he wasn’t a terrorist”. Gonsalves argued that Shabbir Shah was loved by the people of Kashmir because he represented their aspirations.
The bench pulled up the NIA for not putting the facts of the case properly and said it should justify Shah’s detention for a period beyond six years. “What are the facts that justify his detention beyond the period of six years? We can’t just shut our eyes to the facts available,” Justice Mehta observed. NIA counsel Siddharth Luthra sought some time to produce the documents relevant to the facts.
The court noted that if the hearing does not conclude on February 10, it may consider the relief on that day. Earlier, on September 4, last year, the Indian top court refused to grant interim bail to Shabbir Shah in the case and issued notice to the NIA seeking its response on his plea challenging the High Court’s refusal to grant bail.
