Rakib Altaf
SRINAGAR, Nov 17: Kashmir’s hardline separatist leader has accused chief minister Omar Abdullah of carrying out political vendetta against jailed separatist, Ashiq Hussain factoo, whose petition for release after twenty years in prison was dismissed by the court.
Faktoo, 45, who is the husband of ultra-Islamic group Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi, has been in jail since 1993 over charges of involvement in murder of noted Kashmiri Pandit human rights activist Hriday Nath Wanchoo a year before.
He was acquitted by a court in 2001, but only to be arrested again at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in 2002 after participating in a conference on the Kashmir issue in London.
On Friday. the court of Justice Mansoor dismissed his petition for release saying “life imprisonment cannot be equivalent to imprisonment for 14 years or 20 years, rather it always meant as the whole natural life.”
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Geelani said Dr. Qasim – as Ashiq Hussain Faktoo is also known – is being made victim of political vendetta “as there have been many cases in which lifers were released after they completed 14 years in prison”.
The octogenarian leader accused the state judiciary of being motivated by what he said were occupational forces.
He has called for a shutdown on Monday to protest against the court decision.
“The real issue in Kashmir is of occupation and occupational forces are dictating everything to local police and administration,” he said.
In this situation, the only hope was Judiciary but unfortunately in Kashmir the occupying forces are dictating terms to them. Dr. Qasim is the proof of this.”
In 2008, the government-constituted Review Board comprising then DGP Prisons and then Principal District and Sessions Judge Srinagar, Hasnain Massodi, considered Faktoo’s release under the provision of J&K Jail Manual, 2000.
The board had recommended that Faktoo could be considered for premature release.
“Dr Qasim is being targeted for his political beliefs and the latest move is to muzzle the voices of Azadi in Kashmir.” Geelani said.
