Srinagar, Jun 27: The jailed Member of Parliament (MP) and Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) president Engineer Rashid has announced that he will observe a 24-hour hunger strike inside Tihar Jail, from 8:00 pm Saturday, June 28 to 8:00 pm Sunday, June 29, to protest the “continued denial of democratic rights” to Kashmiris.
AIP Chief Spokesperson, Inam Un Nabi, in a statement issued here, said the hunger strike also seeks to highlight the “deafening silence” of national parties about the hundreds of Kashmiris languishing in Tihar Jail and other prisons under draconian laws like UAPA, “merely for holding political beliefs”.
According to the spokesperson, Er Rashid conveyed his decision during a recent meeting with his family, asserting that the “hypocrisy” of both the BJP and Congress in accusing each other of throttling democracy must be “exposed”.
He was referring to the ongoing political slugfest between BJP and Congress over the 1975 Emergency and allegations of authoritarianism.
“It is unfortunate that both parties are leaving no stone unturned to accuse each other of bulldozing liberty, freedom and fundamental rights during their respective regimes. Yet, both are partners in crime when it comes to snatching the constitutional, democratic and human rights of Kashmiris,” the jailed MP told his family, as per the spokesperson.
Er Rashid further remarked, “While the BJP is correctly highlighting the atrocities committed during the 1975 Emergency, it conveniently forgets how it has treated Kashmiris over the past 11 years—jailing legitimate political voices, silencing dissent and branding political belief as criminality. Congress and others, on the other hand, accuse the Modi government of imposing an undeclared emergency but remain silent about the hundreds of Kashmiris languishing in Tihar and other prisons under draconian laws like UAPA, simply for their political beliefs.”
Inam said Er Rashid’s hunger strike aims to remind the people of India that while heated debates rage over past and present emergencies, the “continued and systematic denial of rights” to Kashmiris since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, cannot and must not be forgotten.
The AIP chief has formally communicated his intention to the jail authorities regarding the proposed hunger strike, the spokesperson said.
