Key Takeaways
- Srinagar MP Ruhullah Mehdi has written to EAM Jaishankar seeking his intervention in the release of a Kashmiri engineer imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
- The Kashmiri engineer, Rafi Baba, has been in Saudi custody since March 2020 for reasons unknown to his family.
- The Srinagar MP has appealed to EAM Jaishankar for swift action to expedite the engineer’s release and safe return home.
Srinagar: Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Ruhullah Mehdi, has written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking his immediate intervention for the release of a Kashmiri engineer who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for several years.
Abdul Rafi Baba, a resident of Srinagar’s Soura area, has been in Saudi custody since March 2020 for reasons unknown to his family.
Taking up the issue with the External Affairs Minister, the Srinagar MP has appealed for swift action.
“Urgent Appeal: @ruhullahmehdi has written to Hon’ble EAM @DrSJaishankar regarding the detention of a Kashmiri citizen in Saudi Arabia. He urged immediate intervention to expedite the individual’s release & safe return home. Hope @MEAIndia ensures swift consular assistance,” his office posted on X.
Rafi Baba’s father, Manzoor Ul Haq, said his son had moved to Saudi Arabia nearly a decade ago in search of livelihood and had no criminal record in Kashmir.
“On March 1, 2020, we were shocked to learn that he had been arrested by Saudi authorities. He was picked up from his workplace at King Faisal University, Hafoof Al Hasa, for unknown reasons. While we are unaware of the allegations against him, his colleagues informed us that he was arrested due to internal issues within his company and charged on malicious grounds,” said his father.
Manzoor Ul Haq, who is elderly and ailing, expressed his helplessness in pursuing his son’s case. “I am unable to travel or reach out to the authorities. My wife has passed away, and I have no one to assist me. I once received a call from my son, who told me that he was falsely implicated in fabricated cases. However, since no one is actively pursuing his case, he has been unable to get justice from the Saudi courts,” he added.
The family, financially struggling, is unable to travel to Saudi Arabia or seek legal assistance for Rafi Baba. They have urged the government to intervene and facilitate his release.
Meanwhile, The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has also written to the External Affairs Minister urging him to intervene in the distressing case of Baba. The Association has sought immediate diplomatic engagement with the Saudi government to ensure a fair investigation into his case and facilitate his safe return to India.
