AsiaNet-Pakistan Premier Editorial Content and Press Release Distribution Service
Islamabad, A recent report criticizes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in India for its alleged harsh treatment of Kashmiri political prisoners, claiming that these individuals are being transferred to jails far from their homes as a means of coercion. The move has sparked condemnation and calls for international intervention.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the report details the relocation of over a thousand Kashmiri detainees from prisons within Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to distant facilities across India, including in states like Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as Tihar Jail in Delhi. Among those transferred is Dr. Qasim Fakhtoo, a noted political figure.
The report argues that such transfers violate international norms and an Indian Supreme Court ruling, both of which stipulate that detainees should be housed in facilities close to their residences to maintain family connections and reduce undue hardship. The practice has been described as part of a broader strategy to break the will of those detained and to impose financial and emotional strain on their families.
Additionally, the document states that thousands of Kashmiri political detainees continue to suffer in jails, facing conditions aimed at quelling their demands for self-determination. It calls for immediate international attention and action to secure the release of these prisoners and to improve their treatment while in custody.