MUZAFFARABAD(National Times)- The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on Friday strongly condemned what it described as an attempt by Indian authorities to falsely implicate its incarcerated chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, in a 36-year-old murder case involving a Kashmiri Pandit woman.
Malik was named in June by India’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) as one of five men charged for the killing of Sarla Bhat, who was killed in 1990.
According to a press release issued by the JKLF’s central information office, the party leadership expressed serious concern over Malik’s implication in the murder case.
The statement followed an emergency consultative meeting of the party’s central office-bearers to discuss the situation arising from Malik’s submission of a 25-page affidavit to an additional sessions court in Srinagar from Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
The affidavit said that Malik had decided not to contest the trial further, but highlighted that this decision should not be treated as an admission of guilt or acceptance of the prosecution’s allegations, according to India’s NDTV. He asked the court to award him “capital punishment” in the case and also announced that he would end his marriage to his wife.
The online meeting was attended by the acting party chairman, Raja Haq Nawaz Khan; head of the JKLF Diplomatic Bureau Professor Raja Zafar Khan; Central Vice Chairman Saleem Haroon, Central Chief Organiser Sabir Gul, Central Secretary Finance Khawaja Manzoor A. Chishti, Deputy Secretary General Javed Hanif and Chief Spokesman Muhammad Rafiq Dar.
The JKLF leaders confirmed the authenticity of Malik’s affidavit and expressed their resolve to stand by it, the statement said. They also maintained that the details provided by the chairman about the murder case and the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit community from Kashmir in 1990 were truthful, and rejected the Indian investigative agencies’ allegations linking him to the case.
The JKLF announced its decision to intensify its worldwide “Save Yasin Malik” and “Justice for Yasin Malik” campaigns to garner international support for his release.
The leadership also appealed to world leaders and international human rights organisations to help safeguard the party chairman’s life and secure his release, alleging that he was being victimised by the Indian government over his political beliefs.
The party leadership expressed deep sympathies with Malik’s wife and daughter over what it described as the “painful decisions” referred to in his affidavit, in view of his prolonged imprisonment and perceived threat to his life.
“The JKLF reaffirmed its commitment to seeking a peaceful and early resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir through the exercise of their right to self-determination,” the statement said.
In July, the JKLF condemned the Indian government’s decision to implicate the party chief, maintaining that neither Malik nor the organisation had any connection with the case.
Earlier, in 2017, the Indian Supreme Court had declined to reopen several Kashmiri Pandit murder cases, citing that the mass killings took place nearly three decades prior, and it was difficult to gather reliable evidence and witnesses, the Indian Express reported.
In 2023, Kashmiri Pandit groups approached Lieutenant Governor of India-held Kashmir Manoj Sinha, who directed the police to prepare a list of killings from the 1990s. The Sarla Bhat case was subsequently transferred to the SIA in March 2024 for a fresh probe, according to the Hindustan Times.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq calls for reflection, humane approach
Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq called the news surrounding Malik’s affidavit submission “very concerning”, particularly the JKLF chief’s decision not to contest the case further.
“It calls for serious reflection on commitments made to him and reinforces the need for due process, fairness and a humane approach,” he said in a post on X.
Farooq stated in his post that he had been placed under house arrest by Indian authorities today, although he had been slated to preside over an event in connection with Rabiul Awwal at Jama Masjid in Srinagar.
He noted that the event would also mark the release of a Kashmiri translation of the Holy Qur’an by Gulzar Ahmad Parray, as well as the congratulation of a young scholar for memorising the complete Sahih al-Bukhari.
“The restrictions to prevent me, especially on Friday, to address the faithful at Jama Masjid and do my duty as Mirwaiz, though personally very painful, will not deter me from fulfilling my responsibilities and from raising people’s voice for their rights,” he said.
