Pakistan expresses concern over health of jailed Kashmiri leader

• Foreign Office summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires
• It raised concerns over the deteriorating health condition of Hurriyat leader
• Altaf Ahmed Shah who has been incarcerated at Tihar Jail for five years.

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires (Cd’A) and conveyed the Government of Pakistan’s serious concerns over the deteriorating health condition of Hurriyat leader Altaf Ahmed Shah who has been incarcerated at the infamous Tihar Jail for the last five years.

The Indian diplomat was told that the Indian authorities’ failure to provide adequate medical care to Altaf Ahmed Shah, who has been diagnosed with renal cancer, was extremely disappointing. As a result of this negligence, Shah’s condition is worsening and the cancer is spreading to other parts of his body

It noted with deep regret that despite repeated appeals by the family of Altaf Ahmed Shah, including letters addressed to the Indian Prime Minister, no action has been taken with regard to his health condition.

“The Indian government’s callousness is evident from the fact that Altaf Shah has still not been hospitalized,” it added. “Despite the doctor’s advice to arrange his diagnostic tests urgently in order to assess the extent of the disease, the tests were carried out after inordinate delays.”

The Foreign Office deplored that the Indian authorities continue to deny Shah’s family permission to meet him and the court hearing his bail plea on humanitarian grounds is also being delayed.

It is evident that Shah is being victimized and punished for being the son-in-law of revered Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the Foreign Office said.

The Indian diplomat was told to convey Pakistan’s demand that Altaf Ahmed Shah be immediately provided medical attention and released from prison.

The Government of India was urged to desist from targeting the true representatives of the Kashmiri people by means of illegal incarcerations and mischievous implications in fictitious cases in a bid to stifle the voice of the Kashmiri people.

Family demands release

In Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the family of incarcerated Hurriyat leader Altaf Ahmed Shah has demanded his immediate release.

Altaf Shah’s daughter and Kashmiri journalist, Ruwa Shah, taking to the Twitter wrote, “My incarcerated father has been diagnosed with acute renal cancer which has metastasis and has spread to his other body parts, including his bones. It is my whole family’s request to please allow us to see him and consider his bail application on health grounds.”

A court of India’s notorious National Investigation Agency (NIA) rejected APHC leader’s bail on Friday and adjourned hearing of the false case registered against him till 10 October.

“His condition is very critical and deteriorating, as I write,” Ruwa Shah wrote. He is presently on oxygen support in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of RML (Ram Manohar Lohia) hospital – where there is no oncology department, she said.

The Kashmiri journalist has also written to the Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, seeking his immediate intervention on the matter.

She also requested that his bail application be reconsidered and granted on health grounds as his condition is very critical and deteriorating.

Earlier, Ruwa had written a letter to the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention in the deteriorating health of her father. The NIA in July 2017 arrested seven Kashmiri APHC leaders including Altaf Ahmad Shah in a false case.