Ghulam Muhammad Safi condemns the authoritarian actions of occupying Indian state in arresting Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom

ISLAMABAD, July 03 (SABAH): All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi has condemned the authoritarian actions of the occupying Indian state in arresting Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, the former President of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, under frivolous and fabricated charges.

In a statement issued after an APHC meeting, Ghulam Muhammad Safi resolved to impress upon the United Nations and other human rights bodies to order the release of Mian Abdul Qayoom, who was recently detained by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) on June 25, 2024, under a fabricated case.

Mian Abdul Qayoom’s arbitrary detention is based on political vendetta, as India is trying to break the senior resistance leader by weaponizing black laws against him.

Mian Abdul Qayoom, who is in his advanced age and surviving on a single kidney, is suffering from multiple chronic ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, severe nerve damage, and a 60% blockage in one of his heart arteries. These health issues have resulted in a weakened immune system, making him more prone to becoming a victim of deadly viruses with minimal chances of survival.

Mian Abdul Qayoom, President of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Srinagar, was previously detained under the draconian Public Safety Act on August 4, 2019, following the government’s announcement about the unilateral abrogation of Article 370, which gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. During his incarceration, he suffered a major heart attack and was shifted from jail to the S.N. Medical College in Agra for treatment.

In 2020, The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders issued an urgent appeal against the “arbitrary” detention and deteriorating health of Mian Abdul Qayoom. Additionally, in March 2020, The Law Society of England and Wales addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, expressing grave concern about Qayoom’s detention under the Public Safety Act 1978 (PSA), along with others who were arrested after the Government of India repealed Article 370 of the Constitution of India