Geelani slams Mufti: ‘Battle of ideas claim a big hoax’
Calls for protest today, complete shutdown tomorrow
Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani Thursday called for peaceful protest after Friday prayers and complete shutdown on Saturday (April 25) against detention of Masarat Alam under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and his shifting to Kotbalwal jail in Jammu.
“Slapping PSA on Masarat and shifting him to notorious Kot Balwal Jail is a worst example of state terrorism. I appeal people to hold peaceful protest after Friday prayers (on April 24) and observe complete shutdown on Saturday (April 25) against this act,” Geelani said in a statement.
He said: “Alam is facing threat to his life in Kot Balwal jail. The atmosphere of that jail is very hostile for pro-freedom people and a detainee, Sanaullah Ranjhi, was killed there in 2013. He (Alam) can be attacked and killed there. Mufti government has thrown Masarat into a death trap,” he said.
Geelani said there is “no moral or legal justification” in arresting or slapping PSA on Alam.
“Indian TV channels run a campaign against him and Mufti-led government surrendered under pressure before BJP and detained him under the black law called PSA. This is a grave human rights violation and human rights organizations should take a serious note of it,” he said.
He said, “Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, the Chief Minister of J&K, made huge claims before and after the election drama and tried a lot to prove himself as a pro-Kashmir politician, but all his claims like ‘battle of ideas’ and ‘Goli Nahi Boli’ have proved to be a hoax.”
“He (Mufti) compromised on all his demands like release of political prisoners, return of power projects and rollback of AFSPA,” Geelani said.
He said at the time of formation of “so-called government with BJP”, Mufti promised to shift all detainees from outside jails to prisons in Kashmir.
“By shifting Masarat Alam to Kot Balwal jail Jammu, he has proved that all his decisions come from Nagpur (the RSS headquarters) and he plays the role of a facilitator of these decisions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Executive Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, extended support to shutdown call by Geelani on Saturday.
“All lawyers are requested to adhere to the decision of the Bar Association to show their solidarity with the Kashmir cause,” Muhammad Ashraf Bhat, General Secretary of HCBA said in a statement.
