Srinagar: Advocate Arshad Iqbal, spokesperson for the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), has strongly condemned the re-transfer of party Chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah from Jammu to Delhi, describing it as a grave injustice to an elderly and ailing political prisoner who has spent nearly four decades in Indian jails.

Advocate Arshad Iqbal said that Shabir Ahmad Shah, 74, is suffering from multiple ailments and has already been advised by doctors to avoid long-distance travel. Despite his fragile health, he is being repeatedly moved between Jammu and Delhi, which could seriously endanger his health.

He said that in several cases registered against Shabir Ahmad Shah, the Indian courts themselves have granted him bail. Despite this, he continues to be moved from one case to another, creating an apparently endless cycle of legal proceedings and detention.

The spokesperson said that repeatedly subjecting a 74-year-old ailing man, who has spent almost 40 years in imprisonment, to arduous journeys despite medical advice is contrary to basic principles of humanity, human rights and the accepted standards for the treatment of prisoners.

He demanded that Shabir Ahmad Shah's age and medical condition be taken into account, that unnecessary transfers be stopped immediately, and that he be provided proper access to medical care, his family and legal counsel.

Advocate Arshad Iqbal also appealed to international human rights organisations and relevant United Nations bodies to take cognisance of Shabir Ahmad Shah's prolonged imprisonment, deteriorating health and repeated transfers, and to play their role in ensuring protection of his fundamental human and legal rights.