Yasin Malik, the chairman of the banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front who is currently lodged in Tihar under a life sentence after being recently convicted in a militancy case has written in a letter that he will launch a fast unto death starting from July 22.
In a letter sent by Yasin Malik to his family, the JKLF chairman who was recently identified by Rubaiya Sayeed in another case as her kidnapper has traced his political journey from 1986 and said it was Ajit Doval, the current NSA of India who facilitated his first meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Yasin has also stated that he worked with several ruling dispensations of India and worked in close coordination with the Governments for the “cause” of the people of Kashmir. In his letter, Malik also said that he has not been given a right to defend himself in the Court of Law.
The JKLF leader has denounced the allegations of his involvement in the “exodus” of Kashmiri Pandits stating that he has openly criticized the killing of the members of the minority community. “I visited the migrant camp of Kashmiri Pandits in Udhampur where the Pandits received me warmly. I also held hunger strikes against the killing of Kashmiri Pandits in Doda,” Yasin has written.
Malik has challenged the investigation agencies to prove that he has committed any act against Kashmiri Pandits. He has also flayed films and media for portraying him as someone who had a role in exodus of KPs.
The family disclosed the letter to media. A video was shared by JKLF’s media cell in which the leaders of Yasin Malik were seen sharing the letter.
Qauid Inqalab Yasin Malik said to his mother I made deal with Allah and His Prophet (PBUH),pray for me. He said I will remain on hunger strike as long as I am alive.Further said to his mother, you are now in consign of Allah and his Prophet (PBUH), and me also.#ReleaseYasinMalik pic.twitter.com/kKGUf0W8wa
— JKLF MEDIA CELL (@CellJklf) July 22, 2022
Yasin Malik, 54, is lodged in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail after he was arrested under the Public Safety Act in March 2019, but a month later his custody was shifted to National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a two-year-old case of “militant and separatist funding”.
A Delhi court in May awarded life imprisonment to Malik in a militancy funding case, saying the crimes committed by him struck at the “heart of the idea of India” and were intended to forcefully secede Jammu Kashmir from the Union of India.
Special Judge Praveen Singh awarded varying jail terms to Malik for offenses under the stringent anti-terror law–Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the IPC, rejecting the NIA’s plea for capital punishment.
According to the Supreme Court, life imprisonment means incarceration till the last breath, unless the sentence is commuted by the authorities.