We want to bring into your kind notice the following facts to clear some misinformation’s about the imprisonment of Dr Muhammad Qasim Faktoo, and hope you will communicate to us if any further clarification is required.
Indian government and Indian media is vigorously propagating against Dr Muhammad Qasim from last many years and is presenting him as a militant responsible for killing of “Human Rights Activist” and bigot. These are two main objectives Indian government want to achieve by this nefarious propaganda.
a) To Justify Dr Qasim’s incarceration of 25 years, and mislead world community in general and organisations and institutions working for political prisoners in particular about his imprisonment and status.
b) To belittle his academic, religious and mundane services as a scholar in prison, besides being an author/editor of more than twenty books on various subjects .More than hundred prisoners have completed their graduation and post-graduation through IGNOU under his supervision.
Some important facts about his imprisonment:
a) When Dr Muhammad Qasim was arrested in February 1993 with his wife and infant son, he was booked under so-called Public Safety Act and there is no mention of FIR about any killing in detention grounds. (See book The Crito Page 27)
b) In the month of June 1993, he was asked to sign some papers by BSF, IB and CBI officials in notorious Interrogation Center (jIC) of Kashmir latterly presented as so-called confessional statement before the TADA court Jammu. (See “Truth About My Confession”, “The Crito” Page 69).
c) As it was no evidence, no proof and no witness turned up against accused, TADA court Jammu acquitted Dr Muhammad Qasim and his two colleagues in July 2001. (For full judgment see “The Crito, Page 31).
d) In January 2002 Dr Muhammad Qasim was booked under so-called PSA and was taken to Talab Tillo Interrogation Center Jammu where intelligence officials tried their best to motivate him to contest state assembly elections of 2002. On his blunt refusal he was shifted to Kot Balwal jail Jammu, while being under detention, government after challenging their acquittal by TADA court Jammu got him and his two colleagues sentenced for life imprisonment by the Supreme Court of India in January 2003.
e) The Supreme Court of India while sentencing him for life imprisonment admitted this fact that, this case is solely based on confessional statement. (See “The Crito”, page 60).
Conclusion
Even if we accept this government propaganda that, Dr Muhammad Qasim is in jail because he has been declared guilty and sentenced for life imprisonment by the Supreme Court of India, is this not an established government practice in India and Jammu and Kashmir that authorities used to release lifers on their completion of 14 years, on Indian independence and republic days? Why Dr Muhammad Qasim is in jail even after completion of 25 years? That too when state review board has recommended his release in June 2008 on his completion of 14 years in prison?
Keeping all these recorded facts into account, this fact emerges as crystal clear truth that, Dr Muhammad Qasim is not suffering incarceration because he has been involved in any killing case or he has been sentenced by the Supreme Court of India, but purely because of his political beliefs that are unacceptable to Indian government and their stooges here in Kashmir. And by this nefarious propaganda Indian government through its biased media not only want to justify his incarceration, belittle his academic, religious and mundane services as a scholar in prison but also want to damage his spiritual and political reputation.