Srinagar
In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Harriet Conference Working Vice Chairman, Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, has urged the world human rights organizations to take cognizance of the plight of illegally detained Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders and activists languishing in different jails of the territory and India.
Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar while citing the prolonged house arrest of APHC lifetime Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement issued in Srinagar said the house of the nonagenarian leader has been converted into a prison where nobody is allowed to meet him nor is he allowed to venture out of his home. He termed it as a grave violation of human rights.
Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar pointed out that the Kashmiri pro-freedom leaders are the worst victims of political vendetta and civil rights abuses under Indian subjugation.
He condemned the inhuman treatment meted out to the ailing jailed leaders in Udhampur jail of Jammu region including Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Maqsood Ahmed Butt, Hakim Showkat, Tariq Pandit, Gazanfer Iqbal, Aaqib Najar, Arif Wani, Nazir Pathan, Bashir Sehmat, Mumtaz Ahmed and Farooq Ahmed Sheikh.
The APHC leader said that the authorities have converted the Udhampur jail into an interrogation centre.
“The prisoners remain locked for 22 hours and are not allowed to interact with other jail mates.
Denial of recreational facilities, unhygienic atmosphere due to overcrowding, substandard food and lack of medical facilities have rendered the inmates vulnerable to fatal diseases.
The jail has a notorious recent record of an average one death per year due to lack of proper medical treatment,” he added.
Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar urged the world human rights bodies including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Committee of Red Cross to send their teams to visit the Udhampur jail and take stock of the plight of the detainees.—KMS
