Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) President, Altaf Bukhari on Thursday welcomed the release of political leaders including Sartaj Madni, Shah Faesal and Peerzada Mansoor, and demanded that all other political detainees including former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti should also be released.
In a statement, Bukhari extended gratitude to the Union home minister for revocation of the Public Safety Act (PSA) against Madni, Faesal and Mansoor and termed it as a desirable move which will “help in making the political situation more favourable in coming days.”
He demanded that National Conference (NC) senior leader Ali Muhammad Sagar, PDP’s Naeem Akhter, NC’s Hilal Lone besides hundreds of political activists currently detained in and outside Jammu and Kashmir jails should be freed especially in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It has been our consistent demand that all the political activists and leaders including former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti should be released to ease up the sufferings of people. Their release has assumed more significance in light of the prevailing pandemic that has incremented the sufferings of people,” Bukhari said.
He said hundreds of political activists who were presently detained in outside Jammu Kashmir need to be shifted back to their native places immediately so as to ensure their subsequent release. He said there were families who were not in a position to meet their loved ones detained and lodged outside J&K jails after August 5 last year.
“The COVID lockdown which resulted into restriction on interstate travel has further added to the woes of the families of the political detainees. The government should immediately shift them to J&K without any further delay,” he said.
Bukhari said the COVID19 crisis has adversely affected the basic human rights of political detainees who were held without charge or trial but on a mere suspicion.
“The families of such detainees are undergoing mental trauma as they are not able to visit their near and dear ones regularly,” he said.