early times report
CHANDIGARH, Feb 14: Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Ministry of Home for cancellation of passport of the chairman of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik for anti-national activities.
Division bench headed by Chief Justice A K Sikri of the HC refused to entertain the petition, on the jurisdictional grounds.
Bench asked the petitioner, Pradeep Sharma, a local lawyer, either to move J& K or Delhi pertaining to his grievance. In his petition, the petitioner submitted that activities of Yasin Malik and other separatist leaders of J&K are against the unity and integrity of country for the past several decades.
Referring the pictures appeared in various media in which Malik was seen sharing dais with Pakistan based terrorist leader, Hafiz Saeed, petitioner sought high court's intervention to issue directions for initiating criminal proceedings against Yasin Malik for treason, treachery and other anti-India activities.
Directions were also sought to home ministry for immediate withdrawal or cancellation of the passport of Yasin Malik.
Claiming to be a public-spirited person and having no direct and indirect interest in the matter, petitioner contended that the issue pertains to unity and integrity of the country. "Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) should impose a blanket ban on the visit of Jammu and Kashmir's separatists leader to Pakistan who by visiting Pakistan not only involve themselves into anti India activities and also procure Hawala money to run anti-India activities from within India which has been endangering unity the integrity of India for the past many years," petitioner added. In his PIL, petitioner had impleaded the MHA, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), central passports authorities and Yasin Malik as respondent in the case. PIL had also sought a thorough probe into the links between Yasin Malik and other separatists' leaders on the one hand and Hafiz Saeed and other terrorists' organization on the other hand. Importantly, during his recent visit to Pakistan, separatist JKLF leader Yasin Malik had shared the dais with 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed to mourn the execution of Parliament attack conspirator Afzal Guru in Islamabad. |
