SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has written a detailed letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging him to view the case of jailed separatist leader Yasin Malik through a "humanitarian lens" and consider a compassionate review of his situation.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday said she has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take a humanitarian view of the case against the banned JKLF supremo Mohammad Yasin Malik as he had renounced violence and chosen the path of political engagement.
In her comprehensive letter, which she posted on X, Mufti made an impassioned plea for clemency, describing Malik as someone whose story represents a profound transformation from violence to non-violent political engagement.
"I earnestly appeal to your esteemed office for a compassionate and urgent review of the case of Yasin Malik -- a name that once symbolised resistance, later chose restraint and now remains silenced behind prison walls," Mufti wrote in her mercy appeal.
Malik's Current Legal Status
Yasin Malik, the chief of the banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), pleaded guilty to charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against the state in May 2022, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He is currently serving a life term after being convicted under sections of the UAPA and the IPC in a terror funding case.
The separatist leader is also facing trial in cases concerning the 1990 killing of four Indian Air Force personnel near Srinagar and the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, the daughter of the then Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Malik is the main accused in both cases and is currently serving his sentence in Delhi's Tihar Jail.
In a recent development, as reported by the Kashmir Times, Malik told the Delhi High Court that he had a "working relationship" with six consecutive governments since 1990, headed by then Prime Ministers VP Singh and subsequent leaders. The Supreme Court has been dealing with various aspects of his case, including allowing him to examine witnesses via video conferencing from Tihar Jail rather than physical production in Jammu courts.
In her letter, Mufti emphasized Malik's journey from armed resistance to political engagement, arguing that his transformation deserves recognition. She wrote about the courage it took for him to renounce violence and choose democratic means of dissent.
The PDP leader stressed that while she may differ with Malik's political ideology, his decision to abandon the path of violence should be viewed favourably.
Mufti warned that pursuing life imprisonment or the death penalty against him would "shatter fragile trust" and further alienate Kashmiris from democratic processes. "The spirit of India lies in our capacity to show magnanimity and uphold promises made in pursuit of peace," she wrote.
The letter references Malik's historical engagement in peace dialogues with various Indian governments. Mufti noted that Malik had participated in back-channel communications and had been granted bail in multiple cases over the years, suggesting that previous administrations had recognized his potential role in conflict resolution.
According to the letter, Malik was being engaged by the Indian state for 25 years across different tenures of leadership, including those of Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, and even during Modi's first term, before the situation changed dramatically in August 2019.
Current Tensions and Future Implications
The appeal comes at a time when Kashmir continues to face complex political challenges. Mufti argued in her letter that the region's enduring strength flows from dialogue rather than domination, and that excluding Kashmiri voices from decision-making processes has marginalised the community.
She emphasized that for durable peace, democracy, development, and growth in Jammu and Kashmir to be realized, there must be a shift from "brute force" to the "healing touch of dialogue," with constitutional rights being restored.
Mufti who shared her appeal on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), said: "I've written to Shri Amit Shah ji to view Yasin Malik's case through a humanitarian lens. While I differ with his political ideology, one cannot ignore the courage it took him to renounce violence and choose the path of political engagement and non-violent dissent."
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