Jailed PFI leader E Abubacker’s health deteriorates, admitted in critical condition
Leader was jailed nearly four years, arrested in 2022 while under rest after cancer surgery
New Delhi: Veteran Muslim leader, and founding chairman of the Popular Front of India (PFI), Erappungal Abubacker has been admitted to critical care in a hospital in the national capital since Wednesday after his health deteriorated, Maktoob reported citing his family.
Abubacker has been in jail for nearly four years. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from his residence in the early hours of September 22, 2022.
At the time of his arrest, he was under long rest following surgery for Oesophagopharyngeal carcinoma.
“Over the past two days there has been no significant improvement in his condition,” Abubacker’s daughter told the news portal.
His family told the portal that he is currently suffering from a chest infection and severe cough. They also said there are fluctuations in his blood pressure and sugar levels. In addition, his blood oxygen levels have dropped, which has raised concerns about his health.
Abubacker was admitted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in New Delhi by jail authorities after concerns were raised about his health condition.
However, the family said that despite his critical condition, he was shifted from the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) to a ward on Friday.
The move by the hospital has worried the family. Abubacker’s son-in-law, Muneeb TT, told Maktoob.
According to the report, the family also plans to approach the court seeking medical bail for him.
The 74-year-old leader is currently an undertrial prisoner and remains in custody even though his trial has not yet started. According to the report, the investigation in the case is still pending.
On the day of his arrest, nearly 100 PFI activists were arrested or detained across 10 states in what the investigating agency described as “the largest-ever investigation process till date.”
About a week after the arrests, the Government of India banned the Popular Front of India and several organisations linked to it. These included Campus Front of India, Rehab India Foundation, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation Kerala.
Abubacker had previously approached the courts seeking bail. However, both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India rejected his bail pleas.
His family has said that his health has been deteriorating while he remains in custody. In a statement, his wife Amina said, “He is getting weaker day by day, facing severe health problems due to the unavailability of a proper diet suitable for his health condition. He suffers from memory loss as well.”
The family has also raised concerns about the medical evaluation carried out earlier. They said that a medical board consisting of 10 doctors from AIIMS was formed following directions from the Supreme Court to assess his health condition.
However, the leader’s family alleged that the report submitted by the board did not reflect his actual medical condition. They said the report later became the basis for the Supreme Court rejecting his bail application.
The family also stated earlier that Abubacker later wrote to jail authorities saying he did not trust AIIMS Delhi. He also filed a petition in a lower court seeking permission to undergo treatment in a private hospital.
Abubacker had undergone surgery for cancer in 2020 and had remained mostly housebound under intensive care from family members after the procedure.
According to his family, he suffers from several health conditions including Diabetes Mellitus with Retinopathy, Hypertension, Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, post-operative Oesophagopharyngeal Carcinoma, and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, the report added.
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US warns shipping firms they could face sanctions over paying Iranian tolls in Strait of Hormuz
Dubai (AP): The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions for making payments to Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The alert posted Friday by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
About a fifth of the world's trade in oil and natural gas typically passes through the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in peacetime.
Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the US and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28. It later began offering some ships safe passage by detouring them through alternate routes closer to its shoreline, charging fees at times for the service.
That "tollbooth” effort is the focus of the US sanctions warning.
The payment demands could include transfers not only in cash but also “digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments,” including chartibale donations and payments at Iranian embassies, OFAC said.
“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn US and non-US persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage. These risks exist regardless of payment method,” it said.
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The US responded to Iran's closure of the strait with a naval blockade of its own on April 13, preventing any Iranian tankers from leaving and depriving Iran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.
The US Central Command said 45 commercial ships have been told to turn around since the blockade began.
Trump rejects Iranian proposal
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The warning came as US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war between the countries.
“They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens,” Trump said Friday at the White House. He didn't elaborate on what he saw as its shortcomings but expressed frustration with the Iranian leadership.
“It's a very disjointed leadership,” Trump said. “They all want to make a deal, but they're all messed up.”
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Iran handed over its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night.
The shaky three-week ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be holding, though both countries have traded accusations of violations. The standoff is increasingly putting pressure on the global economy, driving up prices and leading to shortages of fuel and other products tied to the oil industry.
Negotiations continued by phone after Trump called off his envoys' trip to Pakistan last week, the president said. Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed many of his regional counterparts on the country's initiatives to end the ear, according to his social media. He also held talks Friday with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.
China's UN envoy urges Iran to lift restrictions
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Fu Cong, the Chinese ambassdor to the United Nations, said Friday that maintaining the ceasefire is “the most urgent issue" as well as bringing together the sides to resume good faith negotiations “to make sure that the ground is laid for reopening of Hormuz.”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi “has been on the phone almost constantly” with representatives from all sides, Fu said, adding that China supports Pakistan's efforts to mediate between the parties.
Fu stressed the root cause of the tremendous suffering in Iran and neighboring countries and the growing turmoil in the global economy, especially in developing countries, “is the illegitimate war by the US and Israel.
