The family of Yasin Malik, chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), said on Saturday that the 53-year-old separatist leader “is seriously ill in the custody of the National Investigation Agency.”
The news sparked a spontaneous shutdown at Maisuma in Lal Chowk.
“We were not allowed to meet Mr. Malik in the past 10 days. On Saturday, the lawyer came to know that Mr. Malik was seriously ill. He has been on a hunger strike since April 16 in protest against his illegal detention by the NIA. We fear for his life,” Mr. Malik’s sister said here.
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JKLF spokesman Muhammad Rafiq Dar said Mr. Malik was shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi.
Protest in Pakistan
“The JKLF will hold a two-day hunger strike camp in Islamabad, Pakistan, against this repressive Indian approach and a five-day dharna in front of the Indian Embassy in London. We condemn the inhuman and ill-treatment [of Mr. Malik]. India will face serious consequences in case of any eventuality,” Mr. Dar said.
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A spokesman for the separatist amalgam Joint Resistance Leadership, comprising Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said: “It was the responsibility of the government of India to ensure his treatment, well-being and safety.”
The NIA got 13-day custody of Mr. Malik on April 10 in a terror-funding case. Earlier, Mr. Malik, booked under the Public Safety Act on March 7, was brought from Kot Bhalwal Jail, Jammu, to Tihar Jail, Delhi. He will now be produced at the NIA Special Court, Patiala House, New Delhi, on April 22.