Thousands of Kashmiri prisoners held without trial, says PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic President Mehbooba Mufti has termed it a “tragedy” that thousands of prisoners from the territory remain lodged in outside jails without trial.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the PDP chief made these remarks while speaking to reporters after visiting the residence of Lok Sabha MP Engineer Abdul Rashid, in north Kashmir’s Kupwara to offer condolences on his father’s demise.
Mufti said Engineer Rashid’s case reflects the ordeal of most households in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, as thousands of people are languishing in jails, mostly outside the territory. She said Rashid was recently released on bail to attend the last rites of his father at a New Delhi hospital.
The MP from Baramulla, who defeated Omar Abdullah and Sajjad Lone in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is facing trial in a fake case and has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since 2019 after his arrest by the NIA.
“Engineer Rashid is a sitting Member of Parliament. The court perhaps allowed him some relief due to pressure to see his father and attend the funeral. But many others have been jailed since 2019 whose parents passed away without seeing their sons even once,” she said.
Mufti added that such a situation reflects the hardships faced by families across the territory, as many people continue to remain behind bars without trial. “What can be a bigger tragedy than this?” she asked.
