Islamabad: Highlighting the plight of incarcerated party chairman Shabir Ahmed Shah, the former convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (Pakistan chapter) and vice president of Democratic Freedom Party Mehmood Ahmed Saghar on Tuesday urged the world leaders and human rights watchdogs to take effective notice of Shah’s worsening health condition at New Delhi’s Tihar jail saying that the “continuous detention was posing serious threat to his life.”
Saghar, in a joint communiqué addressed to secretary generals of the OIC, UN and representatives of human rights watchdogs, maintained that “Shah who is suffering from multiple ailments has not been allowed for a detailed medical check-up and treatment despite his critical condition.”
Voicing serious concern over Shah’s falling health, he pointed out that the continued detention was posing a grave threat to his life. “The ailing leader was hospitalized a couple of days back where doctors have advised him a pacemaker, but the jail authorities are reluctant in admitting Shah into some hospital for a detailed check up and treatment”, Saghar maintained.
Referring to jail authorities “cold-blooded” approach and apathy towards the sufferings of incarcerated leader, Saghar said that “the DFP chairman who has been declared as ‘Prisoner of Conscience’ by the Amnesty International due to his longstanding struggle for a peaceful settlement of Kashmir dispute was being treated like criminal and subjected to mental torture.”
Saghar appealed the world leaders and human rights defenders to play their much needed role to help save Shah’s life besides ensuring release of the detained leader and others who have been languishing in jails in and outside Kashmir over past several years.