ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan censured New Delhi for booking under an anti-terror law the family members of former All Parties Hurriyat Conference chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani for wrapping his body in a Pakistan flag.
An emblem of Kashmir’s defiance against Indian occupation and put under house arrest for years, Geelani passed away on Wednesday at age 91. His son, Naseem, said police buried Geelani’s body in a local cemetery without any family members present after it snatched his body from the home.
A video widely shared on social media purportedly showed Geelani’s relatives, mostly women, frantically attempting to prevent armed police from forcing their way into the room where his body, wrapped in a Pakistan flag, was being kept.
The footage also showed women wailing and screaming as police took the body and locked his family and relatives inside the room.
Deploring the measures, the prime minister Sunday said it was “just another shameful example of India’s descent into fascism under the Nazi-inspired RSS-BJP [RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh-Bharatiya Janata Party]” government.
Police said unspecified family members of Geelani and some others were charged Saturday under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA. They have, however, not yet been taken into custody.
The law was amended in 2019 to allow New Delhi to designate an individual as a terrorist. Police can detain a person for six months without producing any evidence, and the accused can subsequently be imprisoned for up to seven years. Rights activists have called the law draconian.
PM SAYS PEACEFUL, STABLE AFGHANISTAN IN INTEREST OF PAKISTAN, REGION: Prime Minister Imran Khan said that peaceful and stable Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan and the region.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday had a telephone call with Mohamed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The two leaders exchanged views on the issues of bilateral interest as well as regional developments, in particular the latest situation in Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the importance Pakistan attaches to its strong fraternal ties with UAE and close cooperation between the two countries.
On the latest situation in Afghanistan, Imran Khan underscored that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in vital interest of Pakistan and the region.
He underlined that an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward to ensure safety and security as well protection of the rights of the people of Afghanistan, a press release issued here by the PM Media Wing said.
