NEW DELHI: Asiya Andrabi, founder of the women’s separatist outfit Dukhtaran-e-Millat, was on Tuesday sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring against the State under stringent anti-terror laws.A Delhi court, presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh also sentenced her associates, Sofi Fehmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, to 30 years of imprisonment. The court directed that all sentences will run concurrently.The court awarded life imprisonment to Andrabi under Section 18 (conspiracy) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 121A of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with conspiracy to wage war against the government.Fehmeeda and Nasreen were sentenced to 30 years of simple imprisonment under Section 18 of the UAPA and Section 120B of the IPC.
‘Conspiracy to secede Kashmir’
In its detailed 286-page order, the court held that Andrabi and her associates “hatched a conspiracy for the secession of Kashmir from India.” The court noted that the convicts showed no remorse for their actions. The judge observed, “no remorse has been shown by any of the convicts in respect of their acts rather it is submitted that they are proud of what they were doing and also that they will continue to do the same work”.Drawing a parallel with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the judge referred to Ajmal Kasab, who had similarly shown no regret for his actions during the November 26, 2008 assault.The court said granting leniency would be inappropriate, warning that it would “infuse a fresh lease of life and vigour in the spirit of convicts which aims at secession of an integral part of India.” It added that any tolerance could send a wrong message to others with similar intentions, suggesting they could carry out such acts and escape with limited punishment.The court further relied on videos and social media posts submitted by the National Investigation Agency, which showed the accused repeatedly claiming that Kashmir belonged to “Pakistan and was under Indian occupation.”“Kashmir should be freed from Indian occupation so that it can become part of Pakistan. The material on record is rife with such speeches as well as various posts by all the accused, especially of accused 1 (Andrabi),” the court order stated.The court observed that Andrabi, through speeches and interviews, openly sought Pakistan’s support and propagated that Kashmir was never a part of India.“It is clear that the accused are not merely stating that Kashmir is an unfinished agenda of Partition rather the above discussion clearly spells out that this aspect is misused by accused persons to support, endorse and propagate that Kashmir is not a part of India,” the order said.It further noted that the accused attempted to build a narrative portraying Kashmir as being under “illegal Indian occupation.”
Role of Dukhtaran-e-Millat
The court said the Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), a group banned by the Government of India, was actively involved in activities aimed at secession under the “pretext of the right to self-determination.” It added that the outfit is allegedly linked to the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley.Listed as a banned organisation under the First Schedule of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, DeM was accused of engaging in anti-India activities, including inciting people in Kashmir to take up armed rebellion against the government with support from Pakistan-based terrorist groups.“To further these activities, various speeches were made as well as interviews given. There are multiple posts as discussed in preceding paragraphs mentioning the fact of organising/ convening by accused persons to encourage and support this aim,” the report said.According to her interrogation report accessed by The Times of India, Andrabi told investigators she was in regular touch with former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif and often spoke to his foreign policy adviser Sartaz Aziz.The report said Andrabi also spoke about her contacts with officials at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, former ISI chief Hamid Gul, and UN-designated global terrorists Hafiz Saeed and Syed Salahuddin in connection with discussions on Kashmir.During meetings at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi in 2014 with Sartaz Aziz, then Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit and deputy high commissioner Syed Haidar Shah, Andrabi allegedly told them that “Pakistan was taking Kashmir issue casually”. She was told by Pakistani officials that a Kashmir Committee in Pakistan was handling the matter, the report said.The report further said Andrabi remained in regular contact with Hafiz Saeed and asked him to “pressure Pakistan government”. She also spoke to him around the time of the death of his wife, Umi Talha, and later after the death of his nephew Abdul Rehman Makki.Andrabi and her associates were convicted earlier on January 14. During sentencing, the NIA argued for life imprisonment, saying Andrabi had effectively waged war against India and that a strong message was necessary.The court agreed, concluding that the actions of the accused went beyond dissent and amounted to a serious conspiracy against the sovereignty and integrity of India.
