Life imprisonment to ‘Kashmir’s Lady Kasab’, why did the court compare it with Ajmal Kasab? Know the black letter of Asiya Andrabi – Read

A Delhi court sentenced Kashmiri separatist and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi to life imprisonment. Aasiya has been sentenced to this punishment for conspiring to wage war against the country. The judge said, the convict has not shown any remorse for his actions, rather it has been said that he is proud of his actions and will continue to do the same in future.

He compared the case to that of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist convicted and arrested for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, who had expressed no remorse for his actions. The court also argued that showing any tolerance towards the convict may send a message to other like-minded people that they can get away with such acts through a few years of imprisonment and may encourage secessionist ideas in a part of India.

Important comment of the court

The judge said that any leniency would give new life and impetus to the sentiments of the culprits whose aim is to separate an integral part of India. Andrabi has been sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 18 of the UAPA (punishment for conspiracy). The court said in its order that Andrabi had conspired to separate Kashmir from India.

The order said Andrabi, in his speeches and interviews, clearly advocated and sought Pakistan’s support for the propaganda that Kashmir was never a part of India.

Who is Asiya Andrabi?

Asiya Andrabi is the founding leader of the banned Kashmiri separatist women’s organization Dukhtaran-e-Millat. It has been running a pro-Pakistan separatist movement since the early 1980s. The aim of this movement is to separate Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) from India. Asiya has been under constant security surveillance due to her association with several anti-India jihadi groups based in Pakistan.

Asiya is the youngest daughter of Dr. Syed Shahabuddin Andrabi, resident of Srinagar. She is a science graduate from Government Women’s College, Srinagar. Asiya was introduced to Islamic literature at a very young age by her brother Inayatullah Andrabi. Inayatullah Andrabi was a former teacher of linguistics at the University of Kashmir and a member of Islami Jamiat Tulba, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).

This changed her view of the world and inspired her to join the women’s wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, Kashmir. In the mid-1980s, Asiya separated herself from JeI and formed ‘Dukhtaran-e-Millat’, with which she started a campaign to enforce dress code for women in Kashmir. Asiya Andrabi is married to Aashiq Hussain Faktu (aka Dr. Qasim).

In 1993, Asiya, along with her infant child and husband, was jailed for more than a year. Since then, Andrabi has been in and out of jail several times under the Public Safety Act (PSA).