Shah in solitary confinement: DFP

Srinagar, May 4: The Hurriyat Conference (M) senior leader and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman, Shabir Ahmad Shah, has been kept in ‘solitary confinement’ in Kote Balwal  Jail, Jammu. “The jail authorities have kept Shah, who is suffering from various ailments, in a lonely room away from other jail inmates,” the DFP’s acting president Moulana Muhammad Abdullah Tari said in a statement.

He maintained that the government of having no respect for human rights. “Despite doctors advising that Shah sahib should be hospitalized, government has not shown any concern,” Tari said. “The government is turning a blind eye to the fast changing political scenario at international level. It is adopting a very hostile attitude towards its political adversaries. But this hostile attitude will never break Shah’s sahib’s valour and determination,” Tari said.

He appealed to all the Imams of Masjids to offer special prayers for speedy recovery of  Shah and other incarcerated ailing leaders including Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Ghulam Nabi Sumjhi, Dr Muhammad Qasim Faktoo, Masrat Alam Bhat and Firdous Ahmad Shah.

Meanwhile, a DFP spokesman expressed solidarity with family of Basharat Saleem who died in Machil sector in frontier district of Kupwara. He condemned the arrest of Umar Zargar and other youth and police ‘harassment’ to their families.

HC for Shah’s shifting
Puppet authorities defy court orderSrinagar, May 11: High Court Tuesday directed the authorities to consider shifting senior Hurriyat (M) leader and Democratic Freedom Party Chairman Shabir Shah from Kotbalwal jail to a jail nearer to his residence in Srinagar.

Shah, who is presently serving his 7th detention under Public Safety Act at Kotbalwal jail, has challenged his detention in High Court through his counsel Advocate Mian Qayoom by filing a habeas corpus petition HCP No.147/2010. He was booked under fresh PSA by District Magistrate Srinagar, Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo on April 17 and was shifted to Kotbalwal jail, Jammu.

Pleading the transfer application, the counsel for the petitioner submitted before Justice Hasnain Masoodi, “Shabir Shah has been booked under 7th consecutive PSA. Due to his continuous detention, his health has deteriorated and he is now facing blackouts. He had to be hospitalized on April 28 after he fell unconscious in the jail”.

Citing several Apex Court judgments, the counsel pleaded for shifting of Shah from Jammu to Srinagar. “As per Supreme Court guidelines and due to his deteriorating health conditions, he should be kept in a jail which is nearest to his home,” counsel pleaded.

After hearing the arguments of Shah’s counsel, Justice Hasnain Masoodi observed, “With regard to the averments made in the application, the respondents should consider shifting the detainee to a jail nearest to his place of residence in Srinagar”.

The judge also issued notices to respondents in the writ petition challenging the detention of senior Hurriyat (M) leader under PSA.

“Notice is returnable within two weeks. Counter affidavit should be filed within the same timeframe, with an advance copy to the learned counsel,” the order read.

The next hearing of the case will be held after three weeks.

Before booking him under 7th PSA, Shah was kept under the remand of Police station CIK in connection with a 19 year old FIR in which he along with other prominent separatist leaders had been accused of ‘instigating Kashmiri youth to cross LoC for arms training’.

Before his remand to CIK, Shah was released from Kathua Jail after High Court quashed his 6th PSA on April 2. Courtesy RK

 Shah faints in jail, shifted to Batra HospitalSrinagar, April 29:  Senior APHC leader and the President of Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, Shabir Ahmad Shah was
shifted to Batra hospital soon after he fell unconscious in his prison barrack at Kot Bhalwal Jail Jammu.

Shah who  is suffering from various ailments was attended by a senior cardiologist, Dr Ashok Bakaya. He was kept on Holter Machine monitoring for 24 hours to see if the blackout was due to a heart attack or something else.

Shah’s wife, Dr Bilquees, who was accompanying her husband to the doctor’s chamber in the hospital, told media that the ailing Hurriyet leader was receiving blackout shocks since he  was kept in Udhampur Jail under a false case.

“Shah has grown weak due to continued incarceration and the authorities of Kotbalwal jail were not paying attention to the deteriorating health of her husband”, she added.

It may be recalled here that Indian authorities invoked PSA against Shah for the seventh time since October 2008. Shah's only crime is that he has been raising voice of the subjugated people of Jammu and Kashmir.

For his political beliefs, he had to spend almost half of his life (more than 25 years) in Indian jails. Owing to his year’s long political struggle for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, he was declared as Prisoner of Conscience by veteran human rights groups in early 90s.