NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, a special court sentenced Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Yasin Malik to life imprisonment. The Hurriyat leader was accused of financing terrorists and was detained for several years in Tihar jail.
The hearing commenced under high alert security, where the freedom fighter said that he lived a life following the principles of India’s founder Mahatma Gandhi.
“If I was a terrorist, why did prime ministers in the past meet me? And how was I given an Indian passport?” said Malik when given the opportunity to speak before the verdict was read out.
Currently, thousands of Kashmiri freedom activists, including Hurriyat leaders, are facing imprisonment in different parts of India. Pakistan’s civil and military leaders condemned the decision by the Indian court and said that such moves would not diminish the spirits of Kashmiri freedom fighters.
Pakistan strongly condemns life sentence awarded to Yasin Malik on fabricated charges. Such oppressive tactics cannot dampen the spirit of people of Kashmir in their just struggle against illegal Indian occupation. We stand with them in quest for self-determination as per UNSCRs
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) May 25, 2022