Daily Times

President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry has expressed his grief and sorrow over the death of Altaf Ahmad Shah, the son-in-law of the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in Indian custody. Terming Altaf Ahmad Shah’s demise as a big loss for the Freedom Movement, the president said that the deceased leader’s lifelong struggle for Kashmir cause, his sacrifices and services would be remembered for a long time in the annals of Kashmir history. Pertinently, Late Altaf Ahmad Shah who breathed his last at a hospital in the Indian capital had been languishing in Tihar jail for the last five years. He was suffering from various acute ailments and was recently shifted to the hospital in a critical condition. The President said that the Indian government had not only denied him of his right to treatment but also ignored his family’s pleas for his release on medical grounds. He said that the Indian authorities were treating Kashmiri leaders badly in prison and denying them their rights including the right to hygienic food, medicine and other basic amenities. He said that human right bodies had voiced their serious concern over the woeful plight of Kashmiri prisoners who had been booked on trumped up charges and left to rot in jails far away from their homes. Demanding early release of Hurriyat leaders and activists, the president said that International human rights organizations should play their role to help secure early release of illegally detained Kashmiris who were arrested before and after 5th August 2019.