Another top Kashmir lawyer booked under PSA

Another top Kashmir lawyer booked under PSA

Sringar, July 18: Eleven days after president Kashmir High Court Bar Association, Mian Abdul Qayoom was arrested, authorities Sunday booked under Public Safety Act general secretary of the lawyers body, Ghulam Nabi Shaheen.

Official sources said that Shaheen was detained near Lethpora, Awantipora on Srinagar-Jammu highway last evening when he was heading home in Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

“He has been booked under Public Safety Act and shifted to a jail in Rajouri district of Jammu,” a spokesman of the bar association said.

The spokesman said that an extra-ordinary meeting of the executive counsel of the association was convened here today in which the arrest was strongly condemned.

“We have also decided to challenge the PSA against Mr Shaheen,” the spokesman added. However, the lawyers said that they were awaiting the copy of the dossier to know about grounds of detention.

While as the lawyers are in the middle of the strike, which was last week extended till Tuesday, the lawyers have convened general body meeting tomorrow to chalk out the future course of action.

Pertinently, yesterday Shaheen led a protest demonstration by lawyers against the arrest of Qayoom, who was booked under PSA on the seventh of the prevailing month. While as the lawyers have filed two writ petitions, challenging the arrest under PSA and shifting of Qayoom from Hiranagar Jail in Jammu to Srinagar, they have also threatened to hit streets incase he was not released immediately and that too unconditionally.

Meanwhile, authorities’ also slapped PSA against Zafar Akbar Bhat, the present of separatist Salvation Movement, an ally in Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Zaffar, who was arrested last month from Srinagar, was sent to Kotbalwal jail Jammu, the sources added.

“It is high condemnable that he has been booked under PSA given the fact he is very ill,” Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, here in a statement.

Mirwaiz, who continues to be under house arrest, referred the present situation as “explosive” and appealed international human rights bodies to interfere into the matter.