Srinagar: Apni Party on Tuesday announced that it will form two committees each from the Valley and Jammu regions to pursue the cases of the detainees who have been arrested and kept behind the bars in J&K or outside jails.
In a press conference held at the party’s central office in Srinagar, party General Secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir said, “We are going to form two committees —one from the Valley and other from Jammu region — to study the cases of prisoners who have been kept behind bars in J&K or outside. These committees will be headed by the party’s provincial president Mohammad Ashraf Mir in the Valley and Manjeet Singh in Jammu.”
“Legal teams will assist the proposed committees” He added.
Mir said the committees will study the case of every detainee individually and meet the prisoners’ families so that the cases for their release are pursued vigorously.
He said, “We request the media to highlight our endeavour so that families of the jailed boys will contact us to give the required documents and the details about their jailed relatives.”
When asked whether the party will pursue the release of stone-pelters and political prisoners only, or it will also seek the release of those who are imprisoned on the charges of militant activities, Apni Party General Secretary said, “We will look into the cases of each and every jailed individual. Some of them are arrested under Public Safety Act (PSA) and many of them might have completed their supposed jail term, and now they deserve to be released. We will approach the government review committee with these cases and pursue their release. Also, we will try to convince the government that the boys who have been arrested for stone pelting should be released and given a chance to restart a normal life with their families. Moreover, we will pursue the cases of all political prisoners irrespective of their political ideologies.”
Rafi Ahmad Mir further said that Apni Party will approach the courts —if needed in some cases — and the party will bear the financial expenses for the legal proceedings.
He said, “We know it as a matter of fact that the families of some detainees are not in the financial position to fight a legal battle to get their kith and kin out of the jails. Apni Party will take care of their cases in terms of financial support.”
Besides, Rafi Ahmad Mir, Party’s Provincial President (Kashmir) Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Senior leader and Chairman DDC Srinagar Aftab Malik, Media Advisor Farooq Andrabi, Provincial President for the party’s Women’s Wing Dilshada Shaheen, and Party District President Srinagar Noor Mohammad Sheikh were also present in the press conference.
