Illegally detained senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Altaf Ahmad Shah, has embraced martyrdom in Indian captivity.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Altaf Ahmad Shah, who was son-in-law of the icon of Kashmir freedom movement martyred Syed Ali Gilani, had been languishing in New Delhi’s infamous Tihar Jail since his arrest in 2017.
He was diagnosed with late stage renal cancer.
On September 30, his daughter Ruwa Shah requested the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to release him on bail on humanitarian ground for his proper treatment. However, the Modi regime turned down her request.
Meanwhile, in a tweet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he is deeply grieved at passing of prominent Kashmiri leader Altaf Shah while in Indian captivity.
He said Modi regime denied him treatment despite knowing he was cancer patient.
Shehbaz Sharif said custodial killings are norm in Modi’s India. He expressed his condolences with the bereaved family.
Kashmiris from across the Line of Control including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leadership, High Court Bar Association and civil society have also strongly condemned the custodial murder of Altaf Ahmad Shah.
APHC Vice Chairman Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar in a special message from Srinagar central jail said that Altaf Ahmad Shah had become the latest victim of target killing by India. He appealed to the people to stage protests against the inhuman and brutal act.
Other Hurriyat leaders including Molvi Bashir Ahmad Irfani, Abdul Ahad Parra, Ghulam Muhammad Khan Sopori, Mir Shahid Saleem, Zamruda Habib, Farida Bahenji and Yasmeen Raja in their statements also expressed the fear that the lives of other Hurriyat leaders especially those languishing in Tihar Jail are facing serious threat.
They called upon the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and international human rights organizations to impress upon India to immediately release all illegally detained leaders including Masarrat Aalam Butt, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah and Aasiya Andrabi from India’s death cells.
The funeral prayer in absentia of Altaf Ahmad Shah will be offered at many places in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad and Muzaffarabad, tomorrow.
