77 foreign detenues are in jail outside state : Azad

Jammu, Mar 3: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told the State Legislative Council today 77 foreign detenues, mostly from Pakistan, are lodged in different jails outside the state under the 'Public Safety Act' for more than a year.

The Chief Minister while responding to a supplementary question raised by Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) president Prof Bhim Singh in the House said no state subject is lodged outside the state jails.

Mr Azad told the House, during the roundtable conference with representatives from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured that the detenues, which are not facing serious charges, would be released. A committee of the state government would study the nature of crimes against detenues and give its report. In a goodwill gesture, the persons with not-so serious charges will be released soon, he said.

In a written reply, the CM said 77 detenues are in different Indian jails outside the state. Only two detenues Mohammad Muzaffar (Gujrawalan, Pakistan) and Shabir Hussain (Khilani, Pakistan) are under trial before a sessions court, Srinagar, and GMI court, Uri, respectively but they have not been produced for one year or more before the respective trial courts in Jammu and Kashmir, he added.

The CM further informed the House that 26 foreign mercenaries and 23 illegal border crossers have completed sentenced or been acquitted but they are still detained under PSA. Their stay will be regularised in the country till orders for their deportation are issued by the central government. However, other formalities like providing consular access have already been done, he added.

In reply to a question, Mr Azad said two prisoners, Mousa(60) a Pakistani resident and Harjeet Singh (35) have completed longer period than the imprisonment (sentence) each one of them would have got for the alleged offence. The state governemnt has spent Rs 20.61 lakhs on diet, special medical diet on the prisoners so far.

UNI