Islamabad: (Parliament Times) The former convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference Pak chapter and senior vice president of Democratic Freedom Party, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar has condemned in strong terms the attack on Party Chairman Shabir Ahmed Shah by the hoodlums of the Hindu communal organization, Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) in Patiala Court police lock up.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday Saghar said that murderous attack amply demonstrates the fact that the DFP chief has been left at the mercy of criminals. He said that the DFP had voiced its serious concerns and warned Indian authorities about his (Shah’s) detention and threat to his life in the custody. Terming it as a deep rooted conspiracy to kill Shabir Ahmed Shah he pointed out that the RSS and BJP had a notorious track record of attacking and manhandling Hurriyet leaders.
He, however, maintained that such vile tactics by the Hindu extremists could not deter Shah and other pro-freedom leaders from pursuing their struggle for legitimate political and democratic rights. He urged the international human rights organizations to take serious notice of the attack and use their good offices to ensure full protection and early release of the incarcerated leader.
While condemning Indian authorities for implicating political leaders and activists in fictitious cases, the DFP leader demanded early release of party chairman Shabir Ahmed Shah other Hurriyat leaders. He said that the Indian authorities have been using harassment and persecution of political activists as a tool to kill the voice of dissent in Kashmir. He said that under the garb of black laws has been trying to choke every dissenting voice in the region. “The draconian laws like Public Safety Act and other detention laws prevalent in the region are being used as an effective tool to break the will of Kashmiri leaders to prolong their detentionâ€. Saghar also castigated a Delhi court for not granting bail to party chairman Shabir Ahmed Shah. He said that Shah has been arrested on the basis of a fictitious and baseless case that was disposed off by Indian court some years back.
In order to pursue its hidden agenda, Saghar said that New Delhi has assigned task to so-called National Investigation Agency and Enforcement Directorate to harass and humiliate pro-freedom leaders. He maintained that India claims to be the largest democracy in the world but it has violated the democratic norms in Kashmir that happens to be a disputed territory.
