Yaseen Malik released after 3 months

SYED ALI SAFVI

SRINAGAR, Aug 25: Chairman JKLF, Muhammad Yaseen Malik, was released this afternoon after three months long detention. The ailing separatist leader was arrested on June 18 this year after his party launched Jail bharo (fill the jail) campaign, and shifted to central jail here.

After he was released on bail on July 4, Yaseen was rearrested from his Maisuma residence on July 5 by a police party during a nocturnal raid. He was shifted to Kothibagh jail.

“I was dropped at home by SHO Maisuma police station at around 3PM today,” Yasin told Kashmir Times after his release.

Yaseen had not been keeping well in jail. His cholesterol level had considerably risen, and had developed kidney stones.

After Yaseen’s health deteriorated while he was in jail, he was taken to SKMS Soura. During a medical checkup at SKIMS, head of cardiology unit, Dr Khurshid Iqbal, advised shifting Yaseen to Delhi for urgent treatment.

Doctors at SKIMS had feared that gradient of Yaseen’s artificial heart valve, implanted 18 years ago, might have developed problems, and that the prompt treatment was crucial for his life.

Yaseen was shifted to Delhi’s Escorts Heart Institute, where he remained for 12 days.

“I was accompanied by second SHO Kothibagh police station, Delhi police personnel to Delhi,” he said.

Condemning the recent spate of civilian killings in the valley, Yaseen said that his party has convened a special session of its members on Friday to discuss the present unrest

“Blood of youth and children is being spilled on the streets of Kashmir. It’s very tragic and unfortunate,” he said. “JKLF has convened a meeting of its members on Friday to discuss the ongoing situation and chalk out future strategy.”

Pertinently, in a bid to restore peace in the grief-stricken valley of Kashmir, Omar Abdullah-led coalition government had contemplated release of all the incarcerated separatist leaders.

Senior separatist leader and chairman Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, who was arrested in June, was released earlier this month.

Significantly, police have also arrested hundreds of youths and subsequently booked them under PSA in the last two months of unrest. In the last month alone, at least a dozen separatist leaders and activists were booked under PSA. Moreover, the police also invoked PSA against Kashmir Bar Association president, Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom and general GN Shaheen.

Pertinently, senior separatist leaders, Shabir Ahmad Shah and Nayeem Akhtar have been languishing in different jails in J&K for the last several months. Shah, who is presently detained in Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu, has been booked four times this year under the draconian law.