rki.news
By Altaf Hamid Rao

MIRPUR (AJK), June 30: US-based senior Raja Muzaffar has expressed serious concern over fresh legal proceedings initiated against jailed Kashmiri political leader Mohammad Yasin Malik, who is currently imprisoned in Tihar Jail.

In a statement issued from Dallas, Texas, Muzaffar, who also serves as a Board Director of the South Asia Democracy Watch and Coordinator of the Justice for Yasin Malik Campaign, criticized the filing of a 737-page chargesheet by the Jammu and Kashmir State Investigation Agency (SIA). The chargesheet names Malik and others in connection with the 1990 abduction and killing of Kashmiri Pandit nurse Sarla Bhat.

Citing media reports, Muzaffar said the chargesheet had been submitted to a special court in Srinagar after authorities reopened the decades-old case. He expressed concern that, instead of addressing legal arguments presented in Malik’s recent affidavit, the authorities had launched another prosecution based on allegations dating back more than three decades.

Muzaffar said all criminal allegations should be examined through an independent, impartial, and transparent judicial process that fully respects due process and internationally accepted fair trial standards.

He also voiced concern over Malik’s safety, health, and legal rights in custody, urging the United Nations, international human rights organizations, legal institutions, and the wider international community to closely monitor the proceedings and ensure a fair and transparent judicial process.

Muzaffar further appealed to supporters worldwide to help share his statement, saying his social media accounts remain restricted in India and have limited reach in Pakistan.