Former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter has written a letter to Jammu & Kashmir LG to release political detainees including her mother.
Srinagar| People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti has written a letter to Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) GC Murmu to release all the detainees including her mother amid the rise in cases of coronavirus.
In her letter to LG, Iltija said, “As you’re aware, thousands of Kashmiris including my mother Ms. Mufti, ex-Chief Minister J&K have been jailed since August 5. As the world prepares to battle the deadly COVID (already declared a global pandemic by WHO), India in all likelihood has entered Stage 3 in which the virus spreads through community transmission. J&K has already reported 4 cases & the numbers will go up exponentially in the coming weeks.”
Suggesting that isolation is the best possible way to avoid infection, she also added that the overcrowded prisons and lack of healthcare can make the prisoners highly vulnerable to the deadly virus. It can cause bigger problems for those who are more than 65 years old.
She further added, “There are hundreds of senior citizens from the Valley battling multiple ailments across jails in the country. Some of these detainees come from humble families where the members haven’t been able to afford a single trip to visit their sons & brothers lodged in jails outside Kashmir. You can well imagine their anxiety & concern in the wake of COVID pandemic.”
She requested LG Murmu to release all detainees and let them return to their homes.
Coming down heavily on the administration, she said, “At a time when jails even in the USA are releasing inmates, one fails to understand the reluctance of GOI in freeing detainees jailed for the past 8 months on trumped-up charges.”
In her conclusion, Mufti said, “We are in the midst of an extraordinary medical situation and healthcare systems all over the world are collapsing. I urge you to consider my request. I’m sure you will agree the collective health and wellbeing of each of these detainees overrides every other consideration/rationale for their detention.”
India has seen an unprecedented rise in the coronavirus cases as the numbers shot off above 430, causing 8 deaths till now.
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