Rejection of Shabbir Shah’s bail reflects crisis in Indian judicial system: DFP
Dr Ghulam Rasool urges UN, rights bodies to intervene over prisoners’ plight
Srinagar: General Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Dr Ghulam Rasool, has strongly condemned the rejection of bail for party Chairman Shabbir Ahmed Shah, saying that the decision reflects deep crisis and continuing injustice within the Indian judicial system.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Dr Ghulam Rasool said that the Indian judicial system has become a blot on the principles of justice and democracy. He said that Shabbir Ahmed Shah has spent nearly four decades in Indian prisons, enduring prolonged detention and incarceration. He said that the 74-year-old Kashmiri leader is suffering from serious health problems and, in view of his deteriorating condition and advanced age, doctors have advised that he be shifted to a hospital and undergo essential medical investigations, including an MRI.
However, the Indian authorities have failed to provide him with adequate and timely medical facilities. He said that denying basic human and medical care to a person who has spent decades in prison and is now facing serious health concerns constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights and internationally recognised humanitarian principles.
Dr Ghulam Rasool appealed to the international community, United Nations human rights bodies and human rights organisations across the world to take immediate notice of the plight of Kashmiri political leaders and activists imprisoned in Indian jails. He urged them to highlight their condition before the international community and exert pressure on India to ensure that they are provided with all necessary medical facilities and care.
He particularly called for immediate attention to Shabbir Ahmed Shah’s deteriorating health and demanded that he be provided with proper medical treatment, necessary diagnostic investigations and hospitalisation under the supervision of qualified specialists.
Dr Ghulam Rasool said that the silence of international human rights organisations was further aggravating the suffering of these prisoners. He stressed that human rights are universal principles and must be upheld equally for every individual, regardless of political affiliation or geographical boundaries.
He urged the international community to take effective notice of the continuing human rights violations and prolonged detention of political prisoners in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and to exert meaningful pressure on India to respect international human rights standards and uphold the rights of Kashmiri political prisoners.
