Kulgam, Feb 07: The family of a Srinagar man jailed in Saudi Arabia for the past few years sees hope after the case was escalated by a students’ association, a Member of Parliament and others, says the father of the jailed man.
According to reports, Abdul Rafi Baba son of Manzoor Ul Haq Baba, a resident of Soura Srinagar has been jailed in Saudi Arabia allegedly on charges of “cyber-related crimes concerned with terror activities” and for “circulating some objectionable videos on social media”.
Manzoor-ul-Haq Baba told Rising Kashmir that he used to feel there was nothing but darkness ahead due to the distress of his son being imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
“I could not see anything. However, since this issue was highlighted, there are a lot of forums involved, especially the students’ association. Ruhullah Mehdi, National Conference Member of Parliament, has also done a lot. He has taken it up with other forums as well. So, I am sure something will be done,” Baba said.
On the future prospects of the case, Baba said, “We will see what happens in the future. We will consult with them and then decide what to do. I will try to contact the local government and the local leadership.”
“I will also try to contact foreign leadership. Then we will see what happens. We will appeal to the Saudi government as well. Political parties have also raised this issue here, and the National Conference has raised it too,” he added.
Baba said that MP Ruhullah had tweeted about the case, requesting the External Affairs Minister for immediate intervention to expedite the case.
The father of the jailed man said he will appeal to the local government, the central government, and the Saudi government to intervene in the matter and, if possible, have his son sent back.
“My son has already served four, five years in prison. The embassy visited him in September, but after that, he had two surgeries—one on his hand and the other on his back,” he added.
