Waheed Rehman Para

In 2014, Waheed was appointed as the youth wing president of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party by party president Mehbooba Mufti. and was later appointed as the political analyst to Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, in June 2015, where he worked closely on Project Management Unit (PMU) in the J&K Government Grievance Cell which maintained a close linkage with him for the analysis of public grievances and formulation of broader policies to be taken up by the government. He was also involved in coordinating outcome-oriented disposal of the grievances in coordination with PMU and concerned government and non-government stakeholders.[2]

While participating in a roundtable discussion on the ‘Climate Generations’ organized by the Government of France, at Hall 5 in Le Bourget on the afternoon of 8 December, he said, "we have reasons to be concerned about climate change the effects of which have been already felt in our state, including warmer temperatures for longer periods and long dry spells during the cropping season." [3]

In the year 2016, Waheed Rehman Para was appointed Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council. From appreciation, obligation and acceptation to aspiring sportsperson and youngsters of the state, he encouraged the youngsters and boosted their morale and their winning at different tournaments, championships made the erstwhile state enlist in Sports Board both at national and at the international level. He believed in making the young sportsperson as the real ambassadors of peace and of the country. Despite a meager amount of INR 2.20 Cr allocated for all sports activities, Waheed managed to reach out to more and more youth at grassroots for their involvement in sports.[4] He resigned from the post on 22 June 2018 following the collapse of PDP-BJP coalition government.[5]

Waheed Para at J&K Sports Conclave 2018 with Home Minister Rajnath Singh at Srinagar.

Considered close to Mehbooba Mufti, Para is the youth wing president of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party, alongside being a core member of the highest decision making group of the party.

On the intervening night of 4 and 5 August 2019, Waheed Ur Rehman Para was placed under preventive detention by the Indian Government, under the controversial preventive detention law. The detention followed Indian government's decision of scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which gave the state of Jammu & Kashmir semi-autonomous powers. "In #NayaKashmir, GOI jails young leaders to show them the worth of their belief in Indian Democracy @parawahid still under detention at MLA hostel, Srinagar", wrote the official Twitter account of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party. Para has been invited for this year's Australia-India Youth Dialogue (AIYD), which is a track-two young leaders’ dialogue held every alternate year, but due to his continuous detention, he is unable to attend the dialogue.[6]

Waheed Para after an interaction with delegation of American Council of Young Political Leaders in New Delhi

He was released from the MLA hostel after 6 months of detention and later shifted to his residence and placed under house detention.[7]

After more than a year of being detained, on 16 September 2020 Waheed conveyed the first maiden meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party which was attended by PDP vice president Abdul Rehman Veeri, general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone,[8] senior leaders and party workers.[9]

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 26 November 2020 arrested Paraj ust days after filing his candidacy papers for the District Development Council election in Pulwama, his home seat in connection with the DySP Devender Singh and Hizbul Mujahideen commander Naveed Babu’s arrest case. . Nearly one-and-a-half month after his arrest by the NIA on charges of alleged terror links, Para was on 9 January 2021 granted bail by Special Judge Sunit Gupta, holding that "offences, particularly falling under Unlawful Activities Act (UAPA), are not prima facie made out against the applicant/accused".[10][11]

However soon after being granted bail, he was re-arrested by CIK Jammu of J&K Police in another case.[12]

While in custody he won his maiden elections of the District Development Council (DDC) polls from Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.[13]

In June 2021, Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations (UN) wrote and sought a response from the Government of India (GoI) on an alleged series of human rights violations of Waheed ur Rehman Parra while in detention. According to the report, he was subjected to brutal interrogations that lasted 10 to 12 hours at a time following his detention. He was questioned about his remarks to the Security Council members in a meeting in July 2020, according to the report. Mr. Parra allegedly "raised the alarm about the Government of India's activities in J&K, its treatment of Muslim minorities, and current border tensions with China" in his remarks, according to the letter. "He was held in a dark underground cell at subzero temperature, was deprived of sleep, kicked, slapped, beaten with rods, stripped naked and hung upside down. His ill-treatment was recorded," the report said, adding that he had had to meet with a doctor and a psychiatrist several times as a result of the alleged torture.[14][15]

Waheed Para was found unconscious in Srinagar's central jail on 1 February 2022, and was taken to the Police Hospital for medical check-up by the jail.[16][17]

Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti sought the intervention of home minister Amit Shah in the case. "Waheed Para is jailed since November 2020 on baseless charges, is in need of urgent medical care & assistance. Request & urge @HMOIndia to facilitate this at the earliest," she had tweeted. Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference chairperson Sajjad Gani Lone hoped that there was nothing seriously wrong with the youth leader, and hoped for his quick release. "Wahid and I were jail mates for six months. He is an amazing person and I hope that he becomes a free man soon," Lone tweeted. Former Member of Parliament Muzaffar Hussain Baig also expressed concern over the deterioration of Para’s health inside the Central Jail, Srinagar, "I am deeply concerned about health conditions of Waheed who’s under detention for more than two years now. I request administration and Union Home Minister to see his case compassionately and pray for his speedy recovery and release," Baig had tweeted.[18][19]

• Print, The (December 2020). "PDP youth leader Waheed Para, arrested under UAPA, wins J&K DDC poll from Pulwama".
• NDTV (December 2020). "Jailed PDP Leader, Gupkar Alliance Candidate Waheed Para Wins J&K Local Polls".
• Walla, The Kashmir (December 2020). "Waheed Para, jailed by NIA, wins DDC elections from Pulwama".
• 18, News (December 2020). "Pulwama Largely Stays Away from DDC Polls, But PDP Youth Leader Waheed Para Draws Some Voters".{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/release-ailing-pdp-leader-waheed-ur-rehman-parra-jammu-and-kashmir-leaders-urge-amit-shah/article38374643.ece
• Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra is PDP Youth President
• Pulse, The Kashmir (June 2021). "Waheed-ur-Rehman Para tortured in detention, UN experts say".