Mufti reneges on prisoners’ release promise: Geelani

Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Wednesday accused Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed of backing out of his election promise on the release of incarcerated separatist leaders.

“With the other election promises, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed also backed out of his claim regarding the release of the prisoners. Only a single political leader was released during his period but he too was again imprisoned at the behest of BJP,” Geelani in a statement today said, demanding release of all the political prisoners including Masarat Alam Bhat, Shakeel Ahmad Yatoo, Mir Hafizullah, Abdullah Nasir, Zubair Ahmad Turray, Fayaz Ahmad Lone, Dr Muhammad Qasim, Ghulam Qadir Bhat, Dr Muhammad Shafi Shariaty, Muhammad Amin Dar, Muhammad Ishaq Paul, Muhammad Sayed Bhat, Muzaffar Ahmad Wani and Feroz Ahmad before Eid-ul-Fitr.

“Every country has a tradition of releasing the prisoners on the eve of Eid but this process has been closed in J&K,” Geelani said, demanding shifting of all the Kashmiri Tihar Jail detainees including Dr Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, Tariq Ahmad Dar, Muhammad Rafiq Shah, Javaid Fazali and Muzaffar Ahmad to Valley.

Condemning the arrest of a civilian Latif Ahmad Bhat of Sopore and vandalizing and looting of precious articles from the residence of a pro-freedom youth Waseem Ahmad Bhat, Geelani said, “The Army has once again become proactive in the valley and they have started harassing the common people on 1990s pattern. An Ikhwani informer is working with Indian Army in Tarzoo Sopore camp, who has made the lives of the people living in that area hell.”

Meanwhile, Geelani has strongly condemned the ‘use of excessive force’ against the peaceful protest march of Democratic Political Movement (DPM) at Abi Guzar here and arrest of its activists including its chairman Firdous Ahmad Shah and general secretary Advocate Muhammad Shafi Reshi.