Mehbooba seeks review of hardline separatist Asiya Andrabi’s life sentence

In the wake of a recent verdict by a special NIA court sentencing pro-Pakistan separatist leader Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment, Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday called for a review of the punishment, urging that it be reduced to the earlier norm of a 14-year term.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mehbooba advocated a broader reconsideration of life sentences across the country, while also appealing for Andrabi’s release on humanitarian grounds, citing her age and prolonged incarceration. “This life imprisonment till the person is alive should be abolished in the whole country. It should be 14 years like it used to be before,” she demanded.

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A special NIA court on Tuesday sentenced Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment for conspiring to wage war against India, observing that any leniency for the Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief would only “infuse fresh vigour” into her efforts to secede Kashmir.

Mehbooba also called for reconsidering the life term given to Andrabi on humanitarian grounds. “We have differences with her ideology and her way of doing things, but humanity requires that, as she is an aged woman who has already spent several years in jail, her sentence should be reconsidered,” she said.

The PDP president said Andrabi should be released on parole. “I appeal that her sentence should be reconsidered. The Government of India has already released many people on parole. She should also be released on parole, even if it is conditional, and her conviction should be reviewed on humanitarian grounds,” she said.

Earlier, planting trees in the party headquarters, Mehbooba said, “Islam teaches us that protecting nature is a responsibility entrusted on us. This plantation drive reflects our duty towards preserving the environment for future generations.”

The drive was the beginning of an ambitious initiative to plant one lakh trees across J&K, she said.