India – Srinagar, April 28: JKLF chief on hunger strike, urges Indian civil society to oppose death sentence to 2 Kashmiris.
Two Kashmiris Mirza Nisar Hussain and Mohammad Ali Bhat and a resident of Delhi, Mohammad Naushad were awarded death sentence by an Indian court last week in a case related to May 2, 1996 bombing in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi. At least 13 persons were killed in the bombing. Another Kashmiri Javed Ahmad was awarded life imprisonment.
The Indian police arrested 10 persons, nine of them Kashmiris including a woman Farida Dar immediately after the 1996 bombing and accused them of being involved in the bombing.
After 14-year of detention, four of the accused were acquitted by the court while the woman Farida Dar and another Farooq Ahmad were set free by the court, which awarded death sentence to three and life imprisonment to another.
The court verdict has drawn strong resentment from the separatists and people of Indian Kashmir. A complete shutdown was observed in the region on last Friday to protest against the Indian court verdict.
To protest against the awarding of capital punishment to two Kashmiris, JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik and family members of the convicts held a day-long hunger strike in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir on Wednesday.
“When Indian citizen Sarabjit Singh was awarded death sentence by a Pakistani court, I opposed it and urged Pakistani establishment and judiciary to reconsider it. Now Indian civil society should come forward and oppose the awarding of capital punishment to Kashmiris,” Malik told media men at Maisuma, where he was on hunger strike.
He said he will stage a protest demonstration in Indian capital New Delhi shortly against the verdict.
NationalTurk India – Fayaz Wani
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