Srinagar, Aug 8: The High Court Bar Association Sunday criticized Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statement in parliament in which he had said that there were instances of “some armed militants infiltrating into the protesting mobs and firing at the forces.”
 Addressing a press conference, Bar spokesperson senior advocate Zaffar Ahmad Shah said, “The statement of the India’s Home Minister was aimed to shield the forces involved in the killings of more than 50 youth in Kashmir.”
 He said no local newspaper had reported presence of militants in protests and not any such evidence was available.
 Reiterating that Kashmir is a political issue, Zaffar said, “All the stake holders should be taken into confidence to resolve the long pending Kashmir issue politically. Kashmir needs a political solution.”
 Blaming state government for not complying with the court orders of considering the shifting of the Bar President Mian Qayoom and the general secretary G N Shaheen from Jammu to Srinagar, he said, “We had followed legal way to challenge the detention of our president and general secretary. But government is forcing us to take some stern action. We are left with no option now but to come on roads.”
 He said a team of Bar Association visited Heera Nagar Jail and Rajouri Jail, where Qayoom and Shaheen had been detained. “The Jail authorities are not providing proper facilities to Qayoom and Shaheen as laid down in the jail manual. Their health is deteriorating and they need immediate shifting from there,” Zaffar said.
 He said in Heera Nagar jail, Qayoom had been kept with 12 detenue and 49 under trials, who were involved in murder and severe offences.
 Bar expressed solidarity with the families, whose kin have been killed in recent protests in Valley.
 “All those families, who have lost their children in ongoing protests shall ensure that they register FIR in the concerned police stations. In case, they need assistance from any Bar member, they will be provided.” Bar also expressed solidarity with the families of Leh, who have lost more than hundred lives and property in the cloud burst.
 Zaffar urged the state government to release all the political prisoners and provide medical facilities to them.
The Bar Association said court work would remain suspended till the release of their president and the general secretary.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST