Two families from north Kashmir’s Gurez on Saturday claimed that the two locals paraded by the Pakistan army before the media on Friday on the charges of spying “were residents of J&K’s Bandipora district and had no links with any spying agency ever”.
“My son has been arrested by the Pakistan army on the charges of spying. I identified him in a video that went viral online on Friday. He is not a spy and should be set free,” said Abdur Rahim Lone, father of Feroz Ahmad Lone, 29.
He said the family had lodged a missing report with the police after his son remained untraceable for many months.
In a video appeal, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan to intervene and ensure his son’s release on “humanitarian grounds”.
Another Gurez resident, Bashir Ahmed, said his nephew Noor Muhammad Wani was also seen blindfolded in the video released by the Pakistan army.
“I adopted Wani after his parents died 20 years ago. He worked as a labourer and spent weeks away from home. We did not suspect him to be missing. I was shocked to see him surrounded by the Pakistan army. My nephew doesn’t even know the meaning of spying,” said Mr. Ahmed.
He said he was hopeful that the Pakistan government would accept his appeal and release him.
The Pakistan army showed Mr. Lone and Mr. Wani, both residents of Achoora in Gurez, confessing that they were sent to Pakistan by the intelligence agencies for spying. They were allegedly arrested in Gilgit area of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), which is close to Gurez.
