The tale of incarcerated Ashraf Malik’s distraught family

Malik Sameed
Srinagar, April 06 (KNB): Kashmir conflict has inflicted huge tragedies since three decades and thousands of families have had to bear the brunt. Sopore, the bastion of pro-freedom polity has seen immense number of tragedies with the dreams of families after families getting shattered.
Mohammad Ashraf Malik lodged in jail 16 months bears epitome to this fact, working as employee in the education department he was not only suspended but arrested and lodged under Public Safety Act in December 2016, when the first PSA got quashed second PSA was slapped within no time, and was lodged in Kathua jail and now when second too got quashed via judicial means, he continues to languish in Baramulla jail under judicial remand.
Not only this but in sheer injustice his wife Sofia working in educational department as teacher too was suspended thus depriving the already pain hit family of bread and butter avenues.



The tragedy has echoed many times in the family as two brother –in-laws of Ashraf killed in past three decades of Kashmir conflict with his father-in- law Sheikh Mohammad Yousuf also lodged in jail several times even at old age and released recently. As a matter of great pain his sister is currently suffering from serious disease and is waiting for her brother return.
A family source talking to Kashmir News Bureau -“His entire family is in distraught as Ashraf Malik is the hope of his old age parents with sister suffering from serious disease. His three little children are waiting for their father to return besides his spouse who has been suspended for just to take revenge of her husband’s political thought. Despite quashing of PSA twice and now keeping him in jail under judicial remand all this looks highly motivated revenge nothing else. The family has faced much highhandedness at the hands of police and other authorities. ”
While both the breadwinners remain suspended from services, the aged parents and three children of Ashraf Malik desperately wait for his release.
The realities from ground zero suggest that until the families like that of Ashraf Malik are suppressed like this the talk of reconciliation, peace and confidence building measures would be just words with no meaning. (KNB)