Days after separatist leader Yasin Malik was convicted by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on terror funding charges, Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday backed the chairman of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), calling upon world leaders to take note of what he said was India’s ‘mistreatment of political prisoners’ in Jammu and Kashmir.
“World should take note of Indian govt’s mistreatment of political prisoners in IIOJK. Conviction of prominent Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik on fake terrorism charges is futile effort 2 silence voices critical of India’s blatant human rights abuses. Modi regime must b held 2 account,” Sharif, who, last month, succeeded the ousted Imran Khan as Pakistan’s PM, wrote on Twitter.
Last Thursday, Malik was convicted by the NIA court after he pleaded guilty to charges related to terror funding, spreading terrorism and secessionist activities in the Kashmir Valley in 2017. The court also asked the NIA to assess the financial condition of the 56-year-old to determine the amount of fine that could be imposed on him.
