Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Waheed ur Rehman Parra, contesting from the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, on Thursday reached out to families that have relatives in jails and pledged to fight for a “jail-free and cases-free” Kashmir.
“I understand the plight of the incarcerated youth in Kashmir. There is a need to make their pain heard at the national level,” Mr. Parra said while canvassing in once militant-dominated pockets of Pulwama and Budgam.
Mr. Parra faced jail for 19 months under Sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and was released on bail by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in 2022.
He promised to fight for “genuine aspirations” and “seek amnesty”. “Kashmiri youth and students have every right to live a normal and dignified life. Many political prisoners are languishing in different jails. We will make efforts that the prisoners are shifted to Kashmir and the families are allowed to meet them on a regular basis,” Mr. Parra said.
Hundreds of local youth faced jail in the run-up to the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile State in 2019. Many youths still remain in jails and many families have alleged new arrests were made in the run-up to the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Families alleged that their loved ones have been booked under stringent laws, including the Public Safety Act, which allows detention without trial for two years.
Mr. Parra highlighted PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s move in 2016 to “announce amnesty for first-time offenders in the pelting of stones for 4,500 youth in Kashmir”. He said that his party would pitch again for “dialogue and reconciliation processes” as a means to assuage alienation among youths.
