A day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) approached the Delhi High Court seeking death penalty for the Kashmiri separatist leader and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said the case must be “reviewed & reconsidered”.
While Mufti’s former party colleague Altaf Bukari said “deterrent measures” should be taken against those “trying to threaten” the country’s security, the Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone termed the NIA plea as “dangerous”.
The NIA on Friday approached the Delhi High Court seeking the death penalty for Yasin Malik who was convicted in connection with a terror funding case. The court will hear the matter on Monday. Malik was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special NIA court in May last year after he pleaded guilty in the case.
“NIA’s plea demanding the death penalty for Yasin Malik highlights the urgency to address militant funding in Jammu and Kashmir. We must ensure justice prevails and deterrent measures should be taken against those who are trying to threaten our nation’s security,” Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari said on Twitter.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti reacted sharply to Bukari’s assertions on Malik and said the new political ikhwan ((renegade) gleefully supporting his hanging were a grave threat to “our collective rights”.
“In a democracy like India where even the assassins of a PM were pardoned, the case of a political prisoner like Yasin Malik must be reviewed & reconsidered. The new political ikhwan gleefully supporting his hanging are a grave threat to our collective rights, ”she tweeted.
Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone termed the NIA plea on Malik as dangerous and said the people of J&K need oxygen from the rest of the country as they are gasping for political breath.
“It is a humble plea. Let u not be misled by fair weather Kashmir experts. Please — every situation has a short term and a long term. Let the short term enforced calm not blind you to the possible long term turbulence,” Lone said in a statement.
The PC chief, without naming the National Conference and former chief minister, said the party was responsible for pushing youth like Yasin Malik to take up arms.
“And May I very humbly ask what about those who created Yasin. What about those who rigged elections held under Indian constitution and the jailed political workers, tortured them, tortured their families. And didn’t rest until they ensured that they push them to the wall — to an extent where they pick up arms. I don’t condone taking up arms. But can’t we condemn those who forced arms on to a young person,” Lone said
Lone cited the example of 1987 elections.
“Are those rigged 1987 elections and in process created hundreds and thousands of Yasin immune to prosecution. Are those who filled graveyards post 1987 outside the ambit of Law. Is it always the poor man’s son who has to face the law, who has to face the gallows,” he said, adding, “ We have been hearing threatening noises from the last nine years. Threatened to take action. Yet no action. Action will never be taken against them. Only threaten to take action.”
“Nine FIRs against Yasin when he had not even seen a gun. All FIRs pertaining to elections. But given an anti national form and shape. And Y don’t you have the moral courage at least to do a basic research of the case filed against Yasin in the year 2001 or early 2002. It was the Vajpayee era and there was a pro dialogue fervour. Talks of reconciliation was in the air. ..And a desperate chief minister of that era was desperately desperate to stall, impede, sabotage any such reconciliatory move,” he said
“Let us Kashmiris live in peace. No more experiments. We need oxygen from the rest of the country as we are gasping for political breath. We cannot afford Kashmir being the oxygen for the political landscape in the rest of the country. Reminds me of Afzal Guroo and Congress’s hurry to execute him,” he said
