KD NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, Aug 25: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday led a protest march in Srinagar demanding the return of Kashmiri prisoners and justice for those languishing in jails across the country. Raising slogans of “Bail, not Jail”, Mehbooba accused the government of denying basic constitutional rights to detainees from the region, many of whom have spent years in prison without fair or timely trials.
The demonstration, joined by PDP workers and civil society activists, was aimed at drawing attention to what Mehbooba described as the “systemic denial of justice” to prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir. She said that shifting inmates to far-off jails not only deprived them of regular family access but also undermined their ability to mount a proper defence. “Justice cannot be selective. Prisoners are humans too, and their rights are guaranteed by the Constitution. What we seek is not leniency but fairness and humanity,” she told reporters during the march.
Mehbooba emphasised the need for urgent reforms, including speedy and time-bound trials, mandatory production of the accused at every hearing, and the consistent application of constitutional safeguards that make bail the rule rather than the exception. She also demanded transparency in the grant of remission in life-term cases, stressed that parole and furlough should be treated as legal rights rather than privileges, and argued that medical bail must be recognised as a humanitarian necessity. Calling for the full implementation of jail manuals, she insisted that the dignity and rights of prisoners must be upheld without discrimination.
The PDP chief warned that denying prisoners their rights only deepens alienation and mistrust. The march concluded peacefully with party leaders vowing to continue their campaign until the government addresses the plight of Kashmiri prisoners and brings them closer to their families.
