Srinagar :A daughter of jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Ahmed Shah and granddaughter of deceased Syed Ali Geelani have declared non-association from separatist ideology and allegiance to the sovereignty of the Union of India.
In a public notice published in a local newspaper, Shah’s daughter, Sama Shabir Shah, who had topped CBSE examination in Valley in 2018, said that she is a loyal citizen of India.
Her father, Shabir Shah, who is in jail, heads the now-banned Democratic Freedom Party (DFP). Shah was arrested in 2017 by the Enforcement Directorate over alleged money laundering. In June 2019, when Shah was already in jail, he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in a terror funding case.
“I, Sama Shabir Shah, daughter of Shabir Ahmed Shah, resident of Afandi Bagh Sanat Nagar, Srinagar, want to clarify that I have not been associated with or have any affiliation with the Democratic Freedom Party, nor do I have any inclination towards the ideology of Democratic Freedom Party,” the notice read.
“I do hereby declare that if any person or persons use my name with the party, I shall take legal action against them for incorporating my name in the said party. It is further clarified that I am a loyal citizen of India, and I am not affiliated with any person or organisation that is against the sovereignty of the Union of India,” Sama Shabir, the elder daughter of Shah, said in the notice.
Geelani’s granddaughter, Ruwa Shah, also issued a similar public notice a few days ago and announced that she has no connection or affiliation with Hurriyat Conference.
“I am a loyal citizen of India, not affiliated with any organisation or association that has an agenda against the Union of India, and I owe allegiance to the Constitution of my country (India),” Shah said in the notice published in a local daily a few days back.
Ruwa’s father, Altaf Ahmad Shah, alias Altaf Fantoosh, died in 2022 while he was in jail.
It is learnt that both Ruwa Shah and Sama are on the Exit Control List (ECL) and can’t fly outside the country.