DH NEWS SERVICE
srinagar, Sept 19
Former J&K chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti on Friday wrote a letter to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, appealing for a “compassionate and urgent review” of the case of jailed pro-Pakistan separatist Yasin Malik.
Mehbooba’s sister, Dr. Rubaiya Sayeed, had, on July 15, 2022, identified Malik and three others as her abductors. She was kidnapped near Srinagar’s Lal Ded Hospital on December 8, 1989, and released five days later after the then VP Singh government freed five terrorists in exchange.
Malik is also charged with killing four IAF officers and injuring 22 others in a shootout in Srinagar in 1990. He is lodged in the Tihar Jail.
On May 24, 2022, a trial court sentenced Malik to life imprisonment after holding him guilty for offences under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and IPC. The NIA on August 11 sought the death penalty for Yasin Malik in a terror funding case; the court gave him four weeks to respond, next hearing November 10.
Mehbooba wrote that while she differs with Malik’s political ideology, one cannot ignore the courage it took for him to renounce violence and embrace political engagement and non-violent dissent. In a three-page letter shared on X, Mehbooba described Malik’s journey as a “profound transformation”, saying he placed trust in the state after renouncing violence and choosing non-violent political engagement.
In her letter to home minister, Mehbooba wrote, “I write to you not merely as a witness but as someone who has lived through the turbulent times of Jammu and Kashmir, bearing its grief, enduring its silences, and holding on to its fragile hopes. This letter is written not in defiance but in faith, in the promise of reconciliation, and in the belief that this great nation, even in its most challenging moments, can still choose healing over hurt.”
She appealed for a compassionate and urgent review of Malik’s case, stressing that his journey reflects a profound transformation. Malik, she said, once symbolized resistance but later chose to lay down arms and embrace political, non-violent means to pursue change.
She wrote: “Over the years, Malik engaged in dialogues involving senior officials, intelligence personnel, and even controversial figures like Hafiz Saeed, all with the tacit consent of Indian agencies. These efforts represented a painstaking and deliberate attempt to build bridges in a deeply fractured land.”
Reacting sharply to Mehbooba’s letter, Peoples Conference President and MLA Sajad Lone accused her of “hypocrisy and political theatrics”. He said his friendship with Malik went back to their college days, but clarified that his concern was not about personal loyalty but about exposing the “double standards” of Kashmir’s traditional political families.
Lone questioned the very basis of Mehbooba’s letter, pointing out that Malik himself had never filed an appeal and had instead narrated his story with courage. “So, on whose advice has this mercy letter been written today?” he asked.
He reminded Mehbooba that even if Malik were to be released in this case, there were several other cases pending against him, including one in which a member of her own family had identified Malik. “At that time they trapped him and today they shed tears. How long will this hypocrisy continue? when in power they send people to jails and gallows and when out of power they turn into mourners?” Lone added.
