Er Rashid seeks humanitarian release of ailing ex-PFI chairman E Abubacker

New Delhi: Independent Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, has appealed to fellow parliamentarians to seek the unconditional release of former Popular Front of India (PFI) chairman E Abubacker, citing his advanced age and deteriorating health.

In a handwritten letter dated August 21, Rashid described the 75-year-old Abubacker as suffering from several chronic illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease, and noted that he had previously undergone cancer surgery, Maktoob Media reported.

Rashid said he was deeply disturbed after seeing an elderly prisoner being taken around the jail in a wheelchair on August 13. He said the condition of the prisoner, whom he identified as Abubacker, reminded him of Father Stan Swamy, the elderly Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist who died in custody in 2021 while facing charges in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case.

According to Rashid, Abubacker has become severely debilitated and struggles to eat, speak and hear. He also said Parkinson’s disease has left him unable to write properly.

Rashid said the situation evoked memories of Stan Swamy and argued that the continued incarceration of an elderly and critically ill prisoner raised serious humanitarian concerns. He urged MPs to collectively call for Abubacker’s unconditional release, regardless of their political differences or views on the charges against him.

The Baramulla MP also asked parliamentarians to approach the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and seek consideration of Abubacker’s release on humanitarian grounds.

Rashid said the matter offered an opportunity to demonstrate that human life should be valued regardless of differences in caste, religion, culture or political beliefs. He also appealed to political leaders not to allow ideological differences to overshadow what he described as a humanitarian issue.

Rashid has been in custody since 2019 in connection with a militant funding case. The letter was sent through his legal counsel and bears official notations indicating that permission had been granted for it to be forwarded to his lawyer.

Abubacker was arrested in September 2022 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act following a nationwide crackdown on the PFI. The Union government subsequently imposed a five-year ban on the organisation, alleging its involvement in unlawful activities and links to terrorism.

In July, a special NIA court in New Delhi rejected Abubacker’s bail plea. His family has since approached the Delhi High Court challenging the decision.