MUZAFFARABAD: Kashmiri leaders on Saturday condemned a decision by India’s investigation agency to seek death penalty for incarcerated Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik.

In separate statements and social media posts, they called upon the international community to take measures to halt New Delhi’s unconcealed persecution of freedom-seeking Kashmiris.

They said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) move was aimed at restoring the crumbling political structure of India’s extremist ruling BJP ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

Reports emerged on Friday that the NIA had again sought capital punishment for Mr Malik after he was given life in prison on May 25, last year. The petition is due for hearing on Monday.

Previously, the Delhi high court had turned down NIA plea for a death sentence to Mr Malik, who had refused to accept the Indian government-appointed lawyer or to defend himself against the charges, maintaining that the capital punishment was for a crime that “shocks the collective consciousness” of society.

“Yasin Malik is the worst victim of political revenge by the Indian government and the international community, particularly the international powers and international human rights organisations, must intervene and save his precious life,” said Rafiq Dar, chief spokesperson for the pro-independence organisation that has split into two factions, both acknowledging Mr Malik as their chairman.

He said a meeting of the organisation’s supreme council would be held immediately after Monday’s hearing in the high court to decide the next course of action.

Tanveer Chaudhry, spokesperson of another JKLF faction, also condemned the alarming NIA move, saying it further exposed the intentions of Mr Modi led Indian regime to hijack and exploit the judicial system as a vehicle to advance its dangerous agenda.

In a statement, APHC leader Altaf Hussain Wani also condemned India’s move, terming it BJP 2024 election project.

“It’s a deep-rooted conspiracy. The NIA works on the whims and fancies of the Hindu nationalist regime which is hell-bent on eliminating the Kashmiri leadership that has refused to accept Indian dictates,” he said.

Mr Wani urged the international human rights watchdogs to realise and take effective cognisance of the BJP plan to use Kashmiri leaders as scapegoats to advance its communal agenda and regain losing popularity.

Among the AJK leaders, former AJK premier Sardar Tanveer Ilyas and PPP regional president Chaudhry Yasin also expressed their views on India’s dreadful attempts.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2023