Shabir Shah completes one year of incarceration in Tihar jail

Srinagar: Incarcerated chief of Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), Shabir Shah has completed one year of his continuous imprisonment in infamous Tihar jail, Delhi, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Shabir Shah was arrested by ED last year on the same day and was shifted to Delhi where he was questioned in a fabricated and old case for some days before lodging him in Tihar jail where he is continuously scripting a new history of resistance.
DFP Spokesperson in a statement issued to KNS said that India is a signatory of international convention about the prisoners which makes it duty bound to follow the international norms about the prisoners. “However, New Delhi does not follow the same especially about political prisoners of Kashmir who are languishing in different jails of J&K or outside,” he said.
He said that the latest example of it is the illogic and undemocratic imprisonment of JKDFP chief Shabir Shah. “Shah has been booked in an old case by ED which has already been decided on judiciary level. Fact of the matter is that one year has passed since ED filed its so called chargesheet against Shabir Shah however it has not succeeded in proving even a single allegation against Shabir Shah. Yes, the only one charge against Shabir Shah which is true is that he advocates for Right to Self Determination for his people and firmly believes that unless and until Kashmir dispute is resolved according to the wishes of the people living in the disputed region there neither can be peace in the region nor stability in South Asia,” he added.
He said that this is the only “crime” of Shabir Shah that he strongly pleads the case of his people and has spent 31 years in different jails so far for it. “In the meantime New Delhi tried its best to break the political will of Shabir Shah and started a well planned campaign of character assassination against him however he continuously and steadfastly remained on his political path and did not deviate even an inch. He is being denied fair judicial trail, he is being denied bail, he is being denied his rights as a political prisoners but even then he is firmly holding his political ideology based on principle of justice,” he added.
“We at JKDFP salute the political will of our leader and pledge to take his mission forward. Every activist of the party has time and again made it clear that the mission of Shabir Shah will be taken forward at any cost,” he said.
The DFP spokesperson added that Shah has now become voice of the whole nation and people are only worried about his falling health. “He is suffering from many serious ailments in the jail for which he needs suitable treatment. We at JKDFP appeal in strongest words to the Human Rights forums at international level to intervene and make sure that the life of the “prisoner of Conscience” is saved,” he said. (KNS)