SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY,09 :
Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Sunday expressed concern over the deteriorating health of Baramulla Lok Sabha member Engineer Rashid, who is on an indefinite hunger strike.
In a post on X, Mirwaiz said he was deeply concerned by media reports about Engineer Rashid’s worsening condition, which has led to his hospitalization.
He also criticized the reported move by Tihar jail authorities to arbitrarily withdraw phone call and e-mulaqat (video call) facilities for political prisoners held by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), calling it “very distressing.”
“Reports about the health condition of many political prisoners, especially the elderly, are worrying—not just for their families but for all people,” he said, adding that the policy of harsh treatment towards Kashmiris was a “zero-sum game.”
Reiterating his call for the release of all political prisoners, Mirwaiz urged the Government of India to free leaders, lawyers, civil society members, media personnel, and youth. “At the very least, their rights must be respected and restored while they remain in jail, as per the law,” he said.
He also emphasized that the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir must honor its manifesto commitments and actively work for the release and relief of these prisoners. — (KIMS)