Mirwaiz expresses concern over recent arrests in ‘decades-old’ cases

Hurriyat chairperson and Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said there was “deep concern” among the people over the ongoing arrests by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in connection with “decades-old” cases.

While speaking at the Friday congregation at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz said the developments have “created a lot of anxiety” and uncertainty, especially among those persons and their families who have long disengaged from past paths.”

Mirwaiz pointed out that thousands of Kashmiris are languishing in jails, in and outside J&K, some for decades, causing immense suffering to their families. He said arresting more people only adds to the woes and pain of Kashmiris.

Drawing attention to what he said were serious humanitarian and legal concerns arising from the continued detention of Kashmiris in prisons outside the Union Territory, Mirwaiz said that “such practices often result in delays in trial proceedings and severely limit family access, running contrary to basic principles of humane treatment and natural justice.”

Mirwaiz urged the state government to intervene, and called for a review of “handling of such old cases”. He also appealed for transfer of detainees back to J&K to ensure a fairer, faster and more compassionate process of justice.

The chief cleric appealed to the authorities concerned to intervene and stop the continuing arrests and detention of individuals who have moved on and have not been associated with any violence in decades.

Mirwaiz’s remarks come days after the J&K police arrested two separatist leaders in a nearly 30-year-old rioting case in Srinagar. Police nabbed Javed Ahmad Mir, former chief of banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) and separatist ideologue Shakeel Bakshi.