UN urged to intervene against ‘politically-motivated’ sentencing of Aasiya Andrabi, others
Islamabad: Senior leader of All Parties Hurriyet Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK), Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, has drawn the attention of the United Nations Secretary-General through a special communication over a politically motivated verdict by a Delhi-based NIA court sentencing Kashmiri leader Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment, while Fehmeeda Sofi and Nahida Nasreen were each handed 30-year prison terms.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, in his communication, described the convictions as a grave miscarriage of justice, asserting that the charges against the Kashmiri women were fabricated and concocted by the Indian authorities to silence pro-freedom voices.
He stated that such measures are aimed at suppressing dissent and punishing those Kashmiris who advocate for the implementation of UN resolutions on the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He warned that these actions contribute to an atmosphere of fear and undermine confidence in the rule of law in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Naqshbandi further urged the United Nations to take serious notice of what he termed violations of international human rights obligations by India, particularly those enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the right to a fair trial and protection against arbitrary detention.
He maintained that the heavy deployment of Indian troops in the territory has turned the region into a “massive prison,” where basic civil liberties remain severely restricted.
Meanwhile, Chairman of International Forum for Justice and Human Rights Jammu and Kashmir Muhammad Ahsan Untoo in a statement issued in Srinagar strongly condemned the Indian court for awarding long sentences to Kashmiri women leaders Aasiya Andrabi, Naheeda Nasreen and Fehmida Sofi.
He said that false cases were filed against the women leaders on political grounds and they were given sentences contrary to the requirements of justice.
Ahsan Untoo further said that earlier too, the Indian judiciary had murdered justice by awarding death sentences to Kashmiri leaders Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru, which is a question mark on the justice system.
He said innocent Kashmiris have been deprived of their lives in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Hurriyat leaders and activists are being treated inhumanly in Indian jails.
The Jammu Kashmir Young Men’s League Chairman Naseer Wani in a statement in Srinagar condemned the recent sentencing of three prominent Kashmiri women leader Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, and Nahida Nasreen by an Indian court, has termed it a blatant act of judicial overreach and political victimization aimed at suppressing the legitimate voices of the Kashmiri people. He said that the verdict reflects a systematic attempt to criminalize dissent and stifle the ongoing struggle for the right to self-determination. The statement emphasized that these women have not committed any crime but have been targeted for their steadfast commitment to advocating the political and human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
