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Now, SIA opposes nod to PDP’s Parra to visit ailing nephew at AIIMS Delhi
Last year, the regional passport office in Srinagar had passed the order for impounding Parra’s passport
After the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Criminal Investigation Kashmir (CIK) and the state investigation agency (SIA) have raised objections to allowing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth president Waheed-Ur-Rehman Parra to the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Parra’s seven-year-old nephew is in coma and struggling for his life at the hospital in the national capital.
Parra’s nephew was shifted to AIIMS last month in critical condition. However, NIA did not allow Parra to travel to New Delhi, arguing that his travel could hamper Investigations in a case against him.
Later, an NIA judge allowed the PDP youth president to travel to New Delhi under certain conditions, which he had to follow during his stay in New Delhi. The conditions included not using social media and keeping the investigation officer (IO) in the loop about his activities in New Delhi.
However, PDP youth president’s travel plan have hit another roadblock as the CIK and SIA, two agencies of J&K police, have objected to his travel to New Delhi, citing multiple reasons.
“For me, it is an unending cycle. One court allows, another starts objecting to it,” said, Parra, who was also not allowed to accompany his ailing father to Mumbai last year. His father was suffering from a terminal disease and passed away last month at his home in Pulwama.
Last year, the regional passport office in Srinagar had passed the order for impounding Parra’s passport . The 34-year-old leader was scheduled to travel to United States in September 2023 for a peace fellowship at the Yale University.
Parra could not take oath after being elected as a district development council (DDC) member in December 2020 following his arrest in two terror-related cases. Parra was in jail when he contested DDC polls and his campaign was led by his family members. He defeated a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. After his release and court orders, he is yet to administered oath as the district development council member.
Parra, former secretary of the J&K sports council, is considered close to former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti. He has been one of the most active youth workers of the party and did not quit the PDP when dozens of ex-legislators and office bearers left to join other political parties soon after abrogation of Article 370.
The NIA had arrested the PDP youth chief for his alleged links with terrorists in January 2021. The PDP had termed all charges against him baseless. Though he was granted bail by the NIA court in 2020, he was arrested by the CID wing of the police again. Parra was first arrested under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in November 2020, three days after he filed his nomination for the District Development Council elections in J&K.
After spending 17 months in jail, the PDP leader was released in May after high court granted him bail in 2022.
