Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti call for release of separatist Shabir Shah for medical treatment | Srinagar News

SRINAGAR: Political parties in Kashmir Valley are rallying around jailed separatist Shabir Ahmad Shah, who is reportedly critically ill, urging govt to allow him to be with his family for medical treatment. The latest to join the appeal are National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.Talking to reporters in Anantnag on Tuesday, Farooq said: “If Shah is seriously ill, he should be treated on humanitarian grounds. If his condition is critical and he is unlikely to recover, he should be released on parole. Otherwise, if he dies in jail, it will lead to another controversy in J&K. I support Mirwaiz (Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq) on this issue.”NC MP from Anantnag-Rajouri, Mian Altaf, also supported Shah’s release on medical grounds.Last Friday, while addressing people at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid, Mirwaiz had appealed to the central govt to provide medical care to Shah and allow his family access to him.Shah has been lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since ED arrested him on July 25, 2017 in a 2005 money laundering case.His daughter Sehar Shah took to social media on Tuesday to appeal for her father’s release. “Since Dec 2024, when my father complained of passing blood in his urine, our concern has only grown,” she said. “My mother, who is a doctor, recognised the seriousness of his condition immediately, but we have only faced delays and denial since then.”“This is not a political message or an anti-national statement,” Sehar said. “This is a daughter’s heartfelt and urgent appeal for compassion, justice and basic human dignity. If the govt does not want to release him, they should at least place him under house arrest in Delhi, where he can receive proper medical care and be with his family during this critical time.”Responding to Sehar’s viral message, Mehbooba appealed to the Union home minister to respond compassionately to the Shah family’s appeal. She said the Govt of India should take a humanitarian view by ensuring he received proper medical care. “This may be the family’s last chance to ease his suffering.”People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone asserted that access to medical care was a basic right, saying that Shah be allowed treatment and the presence of loved ones as he battled for his health.