Fizala Khan
Senior People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former Minister of Jammu Kashmir government, Syed Naeem Akhtar Andrabi, was the third politician who was detained on the 21st of December, just a day ahead of counting votes for District Development Council (DDC) Elections and lodged in a government building declared as a sub-jail, by Jammu Kashmir Police. However, the family members of Akhtar mentioned that his arrest was unwarranted and unascertained to any legal documents.
Akhtar was admitted to Khyber hospital on Thursday morning after he fell unconscious in sub-jail. The news came after Naeem Akhter’s daughter, Shehryar Khanum took to her Twitter and wrote that her father was found unconscious and the family was not informed by any official. It was a senior police officer who recognized him and called to inform her.
The Kashmiriyat spoke to his daughter, Shehryar Khanum who said, “It felt like August 5 all over again, we were at least given an apprehension back in the day that there may be a breach of law and order. But this time, there has been no communication on why he is detained. It has been almost three weeks now, we have not been handed any sort of legal document or lawful order that will explain this untimely arrest”.
While speaking about the poor response from the administration, she added, “I have made an attempt on my end to reach out to the admin and seek answers but, I have not received any stern response on their end. It is not that my father is a criminal or someone who does not respect the law, he has served in civil services for 30 odd years, he was the cabinet minister, he is affiliated with a political party, and has been a pivotal member of the said party for years”.
Atleast a senior police officer had the courtesy to inform me around midnight that my father @shangpal in detention was in hospital after he was unconscious for 40 mins. Saved by a whisker – some days back all alone in the whole building. Grateful to his fellow detenues. Prayers!
— Shehryar Khanum (@shehryar_khanum) January 14, 2021
Concerned about her father’s health, she tweeted, “Every doctor with degree and experience that I spoke to about my father’s condition is baffled at the need to keep a 68 year – old man with an acute cardiac history in sub-zero temperatures in a place that is not home”.
When asked about how does their family deal with the illicit detaining of Akhtar, followed by constant remarks on social media and daily life that may take a toll on the family, Shehryar told The Kashmiriyat, “As a family, it gets very difficult for us to watch him in this condition. As Kashmiris, we are all very strongly opinionated, we have our differences, but we face negativity and abuse on a daily basis as families of politicians. No one deserves that. There is so much unkindness that comes our way. People can have academic debates and their own differences in views of politics, but there is so much more to what we see and know. It is absolutely unwarranted for and I will never retaliate to such idiosyncrasies. Irrespective of your political or personal stance, nobody deserves it”.
“People think that as political prisoners, we have luxuries. It is not how it is. Currently where my father is detained, has no facilities to adhere to needs. I had to procure small things for him, from curtains, room heaters to blankets and flooring. The falling temperatures make matter worse. I understand that there is a certain kind of privilege that comes with who we are, but as long as someone is not abusing that power, the unnecessary calls of abuse, hate, and derogatory remarks make no sense,” she said.
“No two spectrums of grief can be compared, but our struggles are dumbed down. It is not easy If I have to go see him at the jail he is detained in, on a cold evening in Kashmir, it is not easy for me to watch him there. It is emotionally and mentally baffling. I spent the night with him at the hospital. He is 68 years – old and has health conditions we do not talk about. We do not seek empathy. My father has chosen to be in a certain stance and that is fine”.
As a cardiac patient who has had a bypass 12 years ago and needs medical attention with extensive care, Akhtar is still hospitalized, after he was found unconscious in his confinement. The family is still aloof of the reason why Akhtar fainted, but they suspect that inadequate and improper care is the reason. Shehryar said that the authorities feel like there is no need to speak and communicate with the families. “It is very complicated for us. It is so uncertain. We have lived this way for a year and it almost feels like a year of our lives just vanished. We keep going through this again and again. My mother has developed health issues from constant anxieties and trauma,” she added.
Talking about her father, she mentioned that he was asked to sign bonds in return for his luxury and he has refused it in the past and will follow to do so, because he believes in a certain principle. As a family, Shehryar said that they have stood by the principles and she admits that she will not be giving in to the will of unscrupulous authorities to get him released.
About the cantankerous nature of the administration, Shehryar told The Kashmiriyat, “There are always the bare minimums that they can provide to the detainees. Maybe fruits or even medicines. They think that if they are depriving us of these, they are establishing a superior status. This is just reflective of who they are. By not allowing us to meet our families who are detained, they will not establish anything”.
Early timeline :
Naeem Akhtar was close to PDP patriarch, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, after working closely with him since 1986. Akhter, a bureaucrat until 2008, when he sought premature retirement from government service in 2008 (when he was holding the lucrative post of tourism commissioner/secretary) to join PDP. During the 2010 Kashmir unrest, Akhtar was the spokesperson for PDP. Later elected to the Legislative Council on 7th of March, 2013 as a candidate of Jammu Kashmir People’s Democratic Party. In 2015, Akhtar was made the Education Minister by Mehbooba Mufti during BJP – PDP coalition. After the failure of the PDP – BJP alliance and a party reshuffle, Akhtar was given the portfolio for ‘Public Works Department’.
He was among the 177 politicians who were arrested on the 5th of August in 2019. Until his release on the 18th of June in 2020. Akhtar was in detention for 407 days. Within a few days of his release, he was evicted from his official residence at Srinagar’s Gupkar Road. His family then rented a house in Srinagar, as he remained under house arrest. Akhtar was also the last to be released after his detention on August 5th, after articles 370 and 35- were abrogated by the Indian government in Jammu Kashmir.
Authorities revoked Akhtar’s detention on the 18th of June, 2020 under the Public Safety Act (PSA), but was later placed under house arrest until the 17th of September, 2020. Akhtar, with his spouse and daughter, was threatened to be forcibly evicted if the premises were not evacuated by 4 pm when he was under house arrest.
Akhtar had claimed that he was asked to quit politics if he wanted to walk free and live a comfortable life with his family.