Dr Qasim Fakhtoo – Complete his 33 years in jail
Hurriyat leaders slam Geneva Conventions violation over such long detention
Srinagar: Dr Qasim Fakhtoo, the distinguished Hurriyat figure, completed 33 years in incarceration in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir .
According to Kashmir Media Service, Dr Qasim Fakhtoo who is currently in Indian Haryana’s Ghurgawu jail born on November 13, 1967, in Zaldagar area of Srinagar. Dr Fakhtoo holds academic accolades, including a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies awarded during his imprisonment in 2016.
Married to a prominent Kashmiri Hurriyat leader and Chief of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Aasiya Andrabi, Dr Fakhtoo served as the Chief of the Muslim League and Chairman of Muslim Deeni Mahaaz, a religious organization he founded.
Dr Fakhtoo’s legal troubles began in February 1993 when he was first arrested under section 3 (TADA Court) on a fabricated murder charge in December 1992. Despite being granted bail in 1993, he was rearrested in 2000 and later sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003. The sentence is a depiction of injustice and the biased law system of India and its puppet courts in IIOJK.
In 2016, the Supreme Court of India rejected the proposition to release him. His son, Ahmed Bin Qasim, shared the emotional toll of Dr Faktoo’s imprisonment, revealing instances of torture and attempts to coerce him into mainstream Indian politics. Like Fakhtoo, thousands of Kashmiris are languishing in Indian jails under fake cases.
He has lost more than half his eye sight (-4.75 D) as he is regularly losing his vision. He has been advised surgery by the orthopedist for his L4-L5 disc. He is regularly taking medicine for erosive duodenitis, chronic gastritis and intestinal ailment .Jail authorities never showed any concern for his ailments with the result his health is deteriorating with every passing day.
Dr. Muhammad Qasim was acquitted by the TADA court Jammu in July 2001. Indian government instead of releasing him booked him under the draconian law Public Safety Act (PSA) and challenged his acquittal before the Supreme Court and the apex court sentenced him along with two other persons for life.
Dr. Muhammad Qasim completed 14 years (mandatory period of life imprisonment) in Feb. 2008, accordingly state Review board recommended his release but politically biased government rejected review boards recommendations. It is the lone case in the history of lifers in occupied Jammu and Kashmir where recommendations of the review board for the release of a lifer were rejected by the home department.
Ahmed Bin Qasim said, “I have never seen my Father under the open sky,” highlighting the harsh conditions his family faces. Dr Fakhtoo endured third-degree torture, including electric shocks, during his arrest. Concerns for his well-being persist, with fears that he may meet a fate similar to other freedom leaders in Indian jails.
According to political analysts, the continued incarceration of Dr Fakhtoo is an act of vengeance and political vendetta of New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Hurriyet leaders, while describing Qasim as an “epitome of patience and steadfastness” said “he has been made a victim of political vengeance by the successive Indian governments.
In recognition of his enduring struggle and intellectual contributions, Dr Qasim Fakhtoo is often referred to as the “Nelson Mandela of Kashmir.”
The leaders said India is openly violating Geneva Conventions on prisoners’ rights by imprisoning Kashmiris on the basis of their political views is a true reflection of Modi’s extremist mindset. KMS—4R
*#UnlawfulDetentionsInIIOJK *
