Mumbai, Sep 15 (IANS): AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan on Tuesday said that keeping imprisoned activist Umar Khalid in jail for years without trail is "injustice" and that he should be provided an opportunity to defend himself.
Pathan's reaction comes after Karnataka Congress Chief B.K. Hariprasad called imprisoned activist Umar Khalid a "nationalist" earlier in the day, and criticised the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for opposing a proposed documentary screening of the student activist at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru.
Speaking to IANS, the AIMIM said: “I don’t know what he said. I am a lawyer, and the law says, ‘Bail is the rule, jail is the exception.’ You cannot keep anyone in jail for years without a trial. This is like conviction before trial. They (Khalid and co-accused Sharjeel Imam) have been in jail for six years. They were unhappy with the government’s policies, so they raised their voices.”
Defending Khalid, he said: "One can watch the videos to know if they said something wrong...Despite repeated hearings, they are not granted bail."
"As a lawyer, I can say that keeping them in jail for more than six years now without trial is injustice. Let the trial begin; allow them to produce evidence before the court, and a decision will be pronounced...He (Khalid) is not given an opportunity to prove anything...this is punishment in itself," he added.
"Somewhere it seems that since he is a Muslim, he is being denied bail," Pathan claimed.
Meanwhile, the AIMIM leader also spoke regarding the Disha Salian death case, urging people to refrain from politicising the issue.
"There is no need to politicise this matter. This is about a father who has been fighting for justice for his daughter for six years...now the case has been handed over to the CBI on the High Court's order and an FIR has been registered. Now, justice should prevail."
Further, on Pakistan increasing the reward to PKR 70 lakh for information about Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, Waris Pathan referred to the Islamic Republic as "the root of terrorism".
"Terrorism originates from there. India has suffered from its terrorist activities. We have seen Pulwama, 26/11 and Pahalgam, where terrorists from Pakistan came to India and killed tourists after asking their names and religion...We want the Modi government to again take action against them like Operation Sindoor, bring them here and give them death penalty to end terrorism," he stated.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
