Srinagar: National Conference on Friday took strong exception to barring former MLA and Party’s District President Anantnag Altaf Kaloo from travelling outside the country, saying the measure tantamount to infringement of one’s basic civil liberties.
While expressing dismay over the government move of not allowing the former party legislator to board a Dubai bound flight, Party Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that such measures were unheard of in the emancipated world.
“Former elected representatives are being treated like criminals and are having basic freedoms denied to them simply because they hail from Kashmir. It was also said that a list of 38 mainstream Kashmiri leaders are on an exit control list. If it’s true then the centre must be transparent and release the names on this list along with the justification for such a drastic and unacceptable move,” he said adding, “Such measures are unacceptable in a democratic country. The unjust treatment meted out to Altaf Kaloo defies all democratic norms and civil liberties enshrined in the country’s constitution. The party strongly condemns it,” he said.
Questioning the illegal detention of a former MLA at the airport, the Spokesperson said, “What justifies treating a former peoples representative with such disdain? The move betrays the aversion the incumbent ruling dispensation nurtures for those who represent the genuine voice of people. It also undervalues the country’s proclivity for human rights and basic civil liberties.”
