Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): After spending 12 years in jail in a terror case, a 44-year-old Srinagar resident, Bashir Ahmad Baba was proven innocent and released by a sessions court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in June. He has been cleared of all charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and is now back with his family members. Even after spending over a decade in prison, Baba is full of positivity. He is happy that he was proven innocent even though it took 12 long years.
While he was in jail, several of his family members died including his father Ghulam Nabi Baba and an uncle. His father, a contractor, died in 2017, three years after being diagnosed with colon cancer. For days Baba had no clue until he was produced before a court when he learnt of his father’s demise.
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Baba who used to run a computer institute in Srinagar’s Rainawari locality also worked with an NGO as an assistant project manager. He now plans to be a teacher. He had done his post-graduation in three different streams - political science, public administration and intellectual property act, while in jail. 'I spent most of my time in jail studying and I was sure that one day I will be proven innocent and released,' Baba told ETV Bharat.
Baba left Kashmir in February 2010 to attend a training workshop in Ahmedabad. A day before he had to return, he was arrested by Gujarat's Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) and subsequently booked on charges of being an affiliate of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit. The ATS alleged that Baba was planning to set up a network for youth for 'terror training', an accusation his family denied back then.
Baba says he is grateful to his lawyer Javed Pathan, who he remembers as a great support during his time in jail. “When he heard my case and witnessed my family’s situation he refused to take money to fight my case,” Bashir recalls. Pathan died days before Bashir was cleared off all charges.
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Mukhta, his mother, told ETV Bharat that she prayed day and night for his return. “Our family suffered a lot after his arrest. My husband was diagnosed with cancer and I had two unmarried daughters at home. Bashir’s both sisters are married now and his brother Nazir Ahmad runs a readymade garment shop.
“My father’s death changed everything, I just waited for my elder brother. I knew he was innocent and we had put our faith in God for his return", Nazir said.
