Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq expressed significant concern regarding recent arrests in Jammu and Kashmir related to decades-old cases, describing these developments as causing “a lot of anxiety and uncertainty” among those who have long since distanced themselves from past activities.
During the Friday congregation at Jama Masjid in Srinagar, the Mirwaiz noted that thousands of Kashmiri prisoners remain incarcerated, some for several decades, inflicting severe hardship on their families. He stated, “Arresting more and more people only adds to the woes and pain of Kashmiris.”
Highlighting serious humanitarian and legal concerns, he pointed out that the continued detention of Kashmiris in prisons outside the Union Territory often leads to delays in trials and restricts family access, which contradicts the “basic principles of humane treatment and natural justice.” He urged the State Government to intervene by reviewing the handling of these old cases and advocated for the transfer of detainees back to Jammu and Kashmir to ensure a “fairer, faster, and more compassionate process of justice.”
The Mirwaiz also called upon authorities to cease the ongoing arrests and detentions of individuals who have not been associated with violence for decades.
In recent developments, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have begun reopening long-dormant cases from the insurgency period of the 1980s and 1990s. These cases often involve allegations related to militancy, terrorism, kidnapping, rioting, and arms offenses, prosecuted under laws such as the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and the Arms Act.
On Thursday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced a systematic revival of such cases, emphasizing the need to deliver “justice to terror victims” who have been denied it for years, asserting that “terror perpetrators would not be spared.”
This approach has heightened anxiety in Kashmir, where many detainees are viewed as reformed individuals who have distanced themselves from violence for years. Notably, Jammu and Kashmir accounts for 35% of India’s UAPA arrests, totaling 3,662 out of 10,440 nationwide from 2019 to 2023.
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