Former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday called for reconsideration of the life sentence awarded to banned Dukhtaran-e -Milat chief Aasiya Andrabi by a Delhi Court.
A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday sentenced three operatives of the proscribed Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) in connection with a 2018 Kashmir secession conspiracy case. The court sentenced Andrabi to life imprisonment, while her associates Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen were awarded 30 years’ imprisonment along with a fine.
The three were arrested by the NIA in July 2018.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar after launching a plantation drive at party headquarters, Mehbooba said although she has disagreements with Andrabi and her politics, the issue should be approached with compassion, considering the years the she has spent in jail.
“We have differences with her ideology and her way of doing things, but humanity requires that, as she is an aged woman who has already spent several years in jail, her sentence should be reconsidered,” the PDP chief said.
Mehbooba also questioned the concept of life imprisonment lasting for the remainder of a person’s life and said it should be reconsidered across the country.
She suggested that life imprisonment should be treated as it was earlier, when it effectively meant a 14-year sentence.
The former chief minister further said that many prisoners have been released on parole by the Government of India and that similar relief, with conditions if necessary, should be considered in this case as well.
“I appeal that it (sentence) should be reconsidered. The Government of India has already released many people on parole. She should also be released on parole, even if it is conditional, and her conviction should be reviewed on humanitarian grounds,” she said.
Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the sentence to Andrabi and two other women is a matter of concern.
“The sentencing of Asiya Andrabi sahiba and her colleagues Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen is a matter of concern. Given the years already spent in detention, the sentence stands out for its severity and harshness,” Mirwaiz said on X.
“We hope that in line with democratic principles, and on humanitarian grounds their case be reviewed with sensitivity and compassion, especially considering Asiya ji’s age and health and they be released.”
