NC MPs urge Shah to restore statehood, review policy of lodging J-K prisoners in jails outside

Srinagar, Dec 16 (PTI) Rajya Sabha members of the National Conference have urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.

They also urged him to review on humanitarian grounds the lodging of prisoners from the Union Territory in jails elsewhere.

In a joint memorandum sent to Shah on Monday, NC MP Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan, Gurwinder Singh Oberoi and Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo said they were placing before the home minister their collective concerns on matters of profound constitutional, democratic and humanitarian importance to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We place this issue before you with deep pain and humility. Thousands of families in Jammu and Kashmir -- mothers, children and elderly parents -- continue to suffer because their loved ones are lodged in prisons far away from the Union Territory. Many of these families do not have the financial means to travel long distances, engage a legal counsel, or even meet their family members once," the legislators said.

They said the representations they received from people describe unimaginable hardship, including long and exhausting journeys, humiliating procedures, harsh restrictions, and endless waiting.

"We have met mothers who only wish to see their sons once before they die, and children who have grown up seeing their fathers only in photographs. In several cases, detainees continue to remain incarcerated despite serious charges not having been proven," they added.

Pointing out that Kashmiris are also Indian citizens, the NC leaders said they deserved dignity, justice and compassion.

"A Kashmiri is not a born criminal, nor a threat. A Kashmiri is a human being and an Indian citizen, deserving of dignity, justice, and compassion. The continued lodging of prisoners far from their homes inflicts suffering not only on detainees but also on innocent families, amounting to punishment for poverty rather than for guilt," they said.

The Rajya Sabha MPs urged the home minister to review the policy of lodging prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir in distant prisons outside the Union Territory and to release those against whom no serious charges are established.

They also demanded restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

"The Prime Minister of India and your good self have, on the floor of the House and on various occasions, unequivocally assured the nation that full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir shall be restored. These assurances have been received with hope and trust by the people of the Union Territory," they said.

The leaders sought to draw attention to the Supreme Court judgment passed in December 2023 on the challenges related to Article 370 and the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir.

The apex court had recorded the statement made on behalf of the Union of India that Jammu and Kashmir's statehood would be restored at the earliest, they said.

"Following the successful conduct of elections and the establishment of an elected government, the people of Jammu and Kashmir now legitimately expect that the assurances given by the government and recorded by the Supreme Court will be honoured in letter and spirit. The continued delay in restoring statehood is causing democratic, administrative, and emotional distress and is increasingly felt as a denial of constitutional dignity," the leaders said.

"We humbly urge the Government of India to initiate clear, concrete, and time-bound steps for the early restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, in keeping with constitutional principles, judicial observations, and the assurances already given at the highest level," they added.

The leaders also sought notification of the business rules governing the functioning of the administration in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This absence (of business rules) has resulted in ambiguity, overlap of authority, and uncertainty in governance, thereby impeding effective decision-making and public accountability," they added. PTI MIJ RUK RUK