On the intervening night of 4 & 5 August 2019, Waheed Ur Rehman Para, a young political leader from Jammu & Kashmir 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. He was released from the MLA hostel after 6 months of detention and later shifted to his residence and placed under house detention.

After more than a year of being detained, on 16th September, 2020 Waheed conveyed the first maiden meeting of Jammu & Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party which was attended by PDP senior leaders and party workers. 

Para was detained by National Investigating Agency (NIA) in November 2020 on alleged “terrorism charges”. Para was apprehended just days after filing his candidacy papers for the District Development Council election in Pulwama, his home seat. While he was released on bond in the alleged “terrorism” case, he was re-arrested in another case.

In March 2020, five UN experts sought New Delhi’s response to the “arbitrary detention” of the PDP leader Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para through a letter sent to the Indian government, which was made public on May 31. “He was held in a dark underground cell at sub-zero temperature, was deprived of sleep, kicked, slapped, beaten with rods, stripped naked and hung upside down,” said the letter, adding “Para was examined by a government doctor three times … and three times by a psychiatrist. He requested medication for insomnia and anxiety. It has more than two years since he is languishing in jail. He has been a doyen of mainstream politics in J&K and seen as inspiration for younger generation due to his extremely specific work during his tenure as Political analyst to Chief Ministers Office and Secretary Sports Council. People in Jammu and Kashmir see his arrest as political vendetta and political rivalry. 

We request hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi & hon'ble Home Minister of India to release him so that he could continue his good work for the larger interests of people, peace, development and prosperity in the region. 

#ReleaseWaheedPara.