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Deteriorating health of Shabir Shah echoes in J&K assembly
During the zero hour of the autumn session of J&K assembly, MLAs Sajjad Lone and MY Tarigami raised concern over the failing health of Shabir Shah inside Tihar Jail seeking his shifting to Kashmir valley
The deterioration of health of Kashmir separatist leader Shabir Shah echoed inside the J&K Assembly and was also raised elsewhere as well, demanding his shifting to Kashmir valley or putting him under house arrest so that his family could take care of him.
During the zero hour of the autumn session of J&K assembly, MLAs Sajjad Lone and MY Tarigami raised concern over the failing health of Shabir Shah inside Tihar Jail seeking his shifting to Kashmir valley.
People’s Conference president and MLA Handwara Sajjad Lone said that Shah was not able to perform his day to day activities without the support. “Shabir Shah was not a militant. He was a political leader with (a different) ideology. He is not able to stand up (in jail). Imagine if anyone among us will not be able to stand up or take care of his needs without support, how will our family respond,” Lone said in the house.
He urged the speaker to find a way to convey the concerns of J&K prisoners, including Shah, to the home ministry. “I know home department is not under the domain of this government. If this assembly keeps its eyes shut to what happens to its citizens in jails outside J&K, then what (is the benefit) of this house...We talk of Kashmir nationalism, Jammu people talk of their national nationalism,” Lone said.
“Please explore some viable solution so that we can, at least, convey our concern to the home minister of India. I know we can’t interfere but expressing our concern can’t be a crime. There are many more (in jails) but he is in mid-70s. He is in jail outside the J&K and not able to do his basic day to day activities,” he said.
CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam MY Tarigami said he received a call from family of Shabir Ahmad Shah informing him about the his deteriorating health.
Tarigami said that the Kashmiris lodged in different jails outside J&K be shifted in Kashmir jails.
Shah, 74, has been incarcerated in Tihar Jail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 25, 2017 in a 2005 money laundering case. On October 4, 2019, the NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet in another case against Shah and four others.
His family has been concerned owing to a “growing concern of prostate cancer and serious kidney complications”.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat leader and chief priest of Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, also expressed his concern over the critical health condition of Shabir Ahmad Shah and Mohammad Yasin Malik echoing the concern of their family members who recently visited them in jail .
Mirwaiz, while quoting Shah’s wife, said that he seems to be dying a silent death due to his fast deteriorating health and multiple complications with no recourse to urgent care or hospitalisation.
“The letter urges the authorities to at least shift him home and convert Shah Sahib’s house into a jail, so that the family can take care of him and provide him with urgent medical attention, as his health cannot withstand any further delay. I once again fervently appeal to the central government to show compassion and on humanitarian grounds release shah sb , or at least as per the family’s request, put him under arrest at home where at least he will be taken care of,” Mirwaiz said in a statement.
