Daily Times

SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), Syed Ali Gilani while demanding the release of all illegally detained pro-freedom leaders and activists, has said that denying political space, suppressing genuine voices and unleashing crackdowns on pro-freedom leaders and activists are deliberate acts to create uncertainty in the territory.

APHC Chairman Gilani said that hundreds of innocent youth detained under frivolous cases were languishing in jails and police stations across the occupied territory and most of them had been detained under infamous Public Safety Act (PSA).

Gilani said that the detainees were kept in miserable conditions. “They are subjected to vengeance and are harassed on one pretext or the other. We are receiving disturbing reports from different jails. Jail officials in Jammu, Kathua and Udhampur are very harsh towards prisoners. Most of the detainees are kept in lock up in their jail barracks. Criminals lodged in these jails are continuously targeting these detainees,”

The octogenarian leader said that the detainees were provided substandard food and no proper medical facility was provided to the ailing prisoners. Jail authorities are creating hurdles during the meeting between prisoners and their families and these meetings are often denied, he said.

The APHC Chairman urged the International Committee of Red Cross and Amnesty International to take cognizance of the miserable plight of Kashmiri political detainees and impress upon India to shun its callous attitude towards the detainees and provide them with basic necessities as per jail manual.