Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday called for a review of the life imprisonment awarded to separatist leader Asiya Andrabi, urging that the sentence be reduced to the earlier 14-year norm and reconsidered on humanitarian grounds.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Mufti advocated a broader rethink of life imprisonment laws across the country, while also appealing for Andrabi’s release on humanitarian grounds, citing her age and the years she has already spent in custody. “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 said.
A special NIA court on Tuesday sentenced Andrabi to life imprisonment for conspiring to wage war against India, observing that any leniency towards the Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief could “infuse fresh vigour” into secessionist activities in Kashmir.
Despite expressing ideological differences, Mufti stressed the need for compassion. “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, while also urging the government to grant Andrabi parole, even if on conditional terms, and review her conviction on humanitarian grounds.
Earlier, while participating in a plantation drive at the party headquarters, Mufti highlighted the importance of environmental responsibility, saying the initiative reflects a collective duty to preserve nature for future generations. She added that the campaign marks the beginning of an ambitious plan to plant one lakh trees across Jammu and Kashmi