People’s Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking a “compassionate and urgent review” of the case against jailed separatist Yasin Malik, saying that closing the door on the former militant would deepen Kashmiris’ alienation.
People’s Conference chief and legislator Sajad Lone accused Mehbooba of double standard, citing how her sister Rubaiyya Sayeed had in 2021 identified Malik as one of those who had kidnapped her in 1990.
Malik, who heads the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, is in Delhi’s Tihar jail, serving a life sentence awarded in May 2022 for terror funding. He faces trial in several other cases, including Rubaiyya’s kidnapping.
Mehbooba’s letter comes at a time Yasin has claimed before Delhi High Court that successive central governments had enlisted his help in their efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue.
The letter says that one cannot ignore the courage Malik had shown in renouncing violence in 1994 and choosing the path of political engagement and non-violent dissent.
It adds that Malik’s political transformation was neither unilateral nor impulsive but had been encouraged and facilitated through back-channel understandings with Indian agencies.
“This letter is written not in defiance but in faith, 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,” the former chief minister wrote.
“Yasin Malik’s journey is no secret to the Indian State. In 1994, he took a courageous and rare decision to lay
down arms and embrace political, non-violent means to pursue change.”
For years, she said, Malik had participated in talks, travelled with official clearance, and been regarded — even if reluctantly — as a crucial bridge between Kashmiris and the Indian establishment.
“He was granted bail in all 32 pending Tada (a now-revoked anti-terror law) cases, none of which the government pursued,” the letter says.
“As per Malik this truce was honoured for 25 years across the tenures of Narasimha Rao, Vajpayee, Gujral, Manmohan Singh, and even Modi’s first term. But everything changed after August 2019.”
Malik was detained ahead of the abrogation of Article 370 and has since been
in Tihar.
Mehbooba’s letter says that closing the door forever on a man who has chosen peace risks shattering the trust necessary for meaningful dialogue.
“If that trust breaks irreparably, every Kashmiri feeling disillusioned and abandoned will withdraw from engaging with the Indian government towards the larger vision
of peace and reconciliation,” it says.
Lone accused Mehbooba of playing both sides and asked that if she was so merciful towards Malik, why did her sister identify him as one of her abductors.
“Let us presume that the Government of India releases Yasin Malik in this case. There are other cases pending against him,” Lone told a news conference.
“In one such case, Yasin Malik has been identified by a member of Mehboobaji’s own family. He will be punished in that case.”
Lone added: “Stop this drama. First seek forgiveness for every sin.”
Both Mehbooba and Lone had been put under house arrest on Thursday to prevent them visiting the Sopore home of former Hurriyat chief, Abdul Gani Bhat, who had died the day before.