Srinagar: Speakers during a seminar held here today accused the authorities of violating the Geneva Convention by ‘terrorizing Kashmiri inmates in different jails.
A statement issued by joint separatist leaders said, “The seminar titled as “prisoners of conscience’’ was organized by joint resistance leadership (JRL) and was organized at the completion of one year of incarceration of Shabir Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saif-u-ullah, Meraj-u-Din Kalwal, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Zahoor Ahmad Watali, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Aslam Wani and Shahid Yousuf.”
The statement said that the seminar was presided over by JRL leader Muhammad Yasin Malik while as senior leader Syed Ali shah Geelani who continues to remain under house arrest and Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq who was placed under house arrest this morning, addressed the gathering on phone.
“The seminar was held to highlight the worst conditions faced by pro-resistance Kashmiri inmates at various Indian jails like Tihar jail, Mandawali Jail Delhi and jails of Jammu Kashmir including Udhampor jail, Khutua Jail, Hiranagar jail, Amphala jail Jammu, Srinagar central jail, Mattan Jail, Baramulla Jail, Kupwara jail, KotBlawal jail and other incarceration centers,” said the statement.
The statement further said: “Various speakers said that India being a signatory to the Geneva Convention on prisoners should abide by the international law but contrary to this it is employing every evil means to inflict more and more harm to these inmates.”
Speakers said that Kashmiri prisoners were the prisoners of conscience, and they deserve the sympathy and ownership of the international community. They said that Indian on one hand claims to be the biggest democracy of the world but on the other hand is caging down political activists for holding a political belief. This is not a democratic approach but a dictatorial attitude and India should either shun its claim of being biggest democracy or stop choking space on political activities, added the statement.
Emphasizing the need of strengthening the unity among ranks and files, speakers said that the struggle of the people of Jammu Kashmir is for their birth and JRL is representing the sentiments of people and people should follow them in letter and spirit, the statement added.
