A Pressure Tactic, Says Bar

Srinagar—Kashmir Bar Association Wednesday expressed concern over the raid conducted by NIA at the house of senior Advocate Muhammad Shafi Reshi.

The Bar Association said that Muhammad Shafi Reshi, is an Executive Member of the Bar and a pro-freedom activist, who has all along pleaded the cause of the people, both inside and outside the court and it is only because of the said reason that the NIA has raided his house to torture, humiliate and pressurize him and to force him to give up his support to the freedom struggle.

The Bar Association stated that earlier the NIA officials had conducted a similar kind of raid on the house of another member of the Bar Association, Shahid-ul-Islam where after he was firstly called to Delhi and tortured and humiliated there and thereafter was arrested at Srinagar and was taken to Delhi where he was kept in police custody for quite some time and was later sent to judicial lockup and presently he is lodged in Tihar Jail.

It was also stated that though TADA/POTA Court located at Jammu and Srinagar have both been designated as NIA Courts, but despite the availability of an NIA Court at Srinagar, Shahid-ul-Islam and many other pro-freedom activists whose houses were also raided by NIA, were taken to Delhi and produced before an NIA Court over there, only to tease, torture and harass them, physically and mentally and bring them as well as their family members under pressure so that they give up their support to the cause of freedom of people of Kashmir, Bar alleged.

It was also stated that on 4th of August, 2017, Zahid Ali Lone, another advocate and member of the Bar Association was arrested when he was coming back after offering his condolence to the family members of a youth, who was killed by the Indian forces. It was also stated that Zahid Ali Lone, had filed a bail application before a court at Kulgam, but because of the Presiding Officer having gone on leave, his application was not decided and he, therefore, continues to be in unlawful detention in a police station at Damalhanjipora, Kulgam. It was also stated that raiding the houses of lawyers and putting them behind the bars, the Govt. of India and its stooges in Kashmir are following a policy of ‘Witch Hunting’ and ‘Victimization’, which is aimed at to threaten and intimidate the lawyers community, so that they backtrack from the demand of right of self-determination and stop giving their support to the freedom struggle, which, besides being politically motivated is against all cannons of law and is also violation of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by domestic as well as International Law to every human being.

It was also stated that the police have also arrested Nahida Nasreen during the dead of the night, a day before, which too is not permissible under law. She after interrogation, has however been lodged in Womens police station Rambagh, Srinagar, where no one is allowed to meet her. It was also stated that under law no women can be arrested before sunrise or after sunset, but in the case of Nahida Nasreen, the said cardinal principle of law has not been complied with.

After debating the issue for about an hour, the members, in order to show their solidarity with Mohammad Shafi Reshi, Advocate and also register their protest against the raiding of his house, unanimously decided, not only to abstain from court work for the day, but also staged a protest demonstration outside the High Court premises.

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