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From cricket stadium to jails

YUSRA HUSSAIN. Dated: 5/6/2013 12:20:09 AM

SRINAGAR, May 5: On October 13, 1983, he was arrested by the police at Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium for allegedly trying to dig the pitch during one day international match between India and West Indies.
Since then there is no end to the arrests for Mushtaq Ahmed Bhat alias Mushtaq-Ul-Islam of Batamaloo, Srinagar.
Recently he was again booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for the ninth time since 2008 and sent to Udhampur district jail.
His family is demanding his release on the grounds that Mushtaq is being victimized by the state government for his political views. According to them while other such political leaders have been given space, Mustaq has been denied a space and he continues to languish in prison. The family stated that the detained leader is suffering from various ailments and needs immediate medical attention. “His eyesight has deteriorated already in jail and his continuous detention can pose a threat to his life,” they said.
After his arrest in 1983, Mushtaq was detained for a year and lodged in Hiranagar jail in Jammu. After 1987 assembly polls, he was against arrested for a year.
In 1990, when militancy surfaced Mushtaq allegedly became the chief of Hizbullah. He was arrested by security forces in Srinagar during a crackdown. The militant leader was set free after 14 years in 2004.
During the Amarnath land row in 2008, Mustaq was detained and released after three years in 2011.His stay outside jail was short lived as he was re-arrested only after three days when he was attempting to address a press conference in a local hotel. His family members claim that Mushtaq was never released during the last 18 months and continues in police custody.
But the district magistrate Srinagar in his latest detention order said Mushtaq was recently set free and that he immediately after his release reached Batamaloo and delivered a high provocative speech against the death penalty of Mohammad Afzal Guru. And subsequently Mushtaq was detained.
The grounds of detention order among other things describe Mushtaq as an active, dedicated and staunch member of Hizbullah militant group. “The aim and objective of the outlawed organization is to secede the state of J&K from union of India by waging war against the Government established by law. …”
The detention order further says, “Your activities have been found to be highly instigative when it comes implementing the illegal programmes of secessionist on the ground like enforcing the strikes, taking out procession and you also become an important component of secessionist groups which has spearheading the agitations being carried out in support of secessionism.”