Liah Qureshi
The district administration in Bandipora has booked senior Muslim League leader Asadullah Parray under Public Safety Act for his alleged involvement in organizing anti-India protests.
Parray is district president of the party led by jailed pro-freedom leader Masarat Alam. His family said that Parray was detained under the draconian law for the fifth time and sent to Kot Balwal jail in Jammu on September 12. Parray has five children—four daughters and a son—who have been left at the mercy of circumstances. His wife died of natural causes three years ago. “My father was arrested on August 13 last year. We got court orders for his bail but police continued to detain him until dossier for the PSA was formed. They (police) continuously deceived us on his detention,” Parray’s 18-year eldest daughter Mariya Assad said.
This is the fifth consecutive time that PSA has been slapped on Parray “We are used to his absence from home. He has dedicated his life for the freedom of Kashmir,” she said. She said their youngest sibling Junaid Assad (10) misses his father but he does not complain. Junaid said that the government should have lodged him at Srinagar jail. Earlier, Parray has served 13 years in jails for his association with the pro-freedom movement. He faced the worst victimisation during the reign of army-backed counter-insurgent Kuka Parray in mid-1990s who targeted the workers and sympathizers of Jamaat-e-Islami. Assadullah was associated with Jamaat before joining the Muslim League.