ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Wednesday condemned an Indian court’s decision to slap Kashmiri rights activist Asiya Andrabi with a life imprisonment sentence, saying the move could further exacerbate tensions in South Asia.
Andrabi is the founder of a Kashmiri rights group called “Dukhtaran-i-Millat” or Daughters of the Nation that frequently criticizes the Indian government for alleged rights atrocities in the disputed Himalayan territory of Jammu and Kashmir that it administers. A Delhi court on Tuesday sentenced Andrabi to life imprisonment and her associates, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, to 30 years in prison under the Indian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The three were convicted under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including “charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and waging war against the state” in January. She was arrested by Indian authorities in 2018.
Pakistan accuses India of suppressing dissent and violating the rights of dissidents in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, charges that New Delhi rejects. India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars over Kashmir, with both claiming the entire region but administering only parts of it.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the awarding of a life imprisonment sentence to Aasiya Andrabi, a prominent Kashmiri political leader, along with the harsh 30-year prison sentences imposed on her two associates, Ms Fehmeeda Sofi and Ms Nahida Nasreen, by a Delhi court under the draconian law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,” the foreign office spokesperson said in a statement.
It described the verdict as a “grave miscarriage of justice,” saying it reflected the continuing alleged suppression of rights in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The foreign office said the sentencing raises concerns about due process, judicial independence, and adherence to international human rights obligations by India. It added that Andrabi’s conviction and “harsh sentencing” underscored the shrinking space for political expression and civil liberties in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“Pakistan believes that such actions further exacerbate tensions and undermine prospects for peace and stability in South Asia,” the statement said.
Pakistan’s foreign office urged the international community, including the UN and other global rights bodies, to take notice of the matter.
“It calls for the protection of the political, social, and human rights of the Kashmiri people, including the right to freedom of expression and a fair trial,” it added.
Indian government prosecutors accuse Andrabi of being involved in a conspiracy to carry out militant activities and of being a member of a banned organization that advocates for the secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India.
India accuses Pakistan of stoking tensions in the part of Kashmir that Delhi administers by funding militant groups there. Islamabad denies the allegations, saying it provides only moral and diplomatic support to the people of Indian-administered Kashmir.
