Who is Mushal Hussein Mullick, part of the new Pakistan government?
Mushal Hussein Malik, the wife of jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, has assumed the role of Special Advisor to Pakistan's new caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaarul Haq Kakar. Mushal now holds the position of Special Assistant to the PM for human rights and women's empowerment.
Hailing from an influential family in Pakistan, Mushal Mullick has been unreservedly vocal about her political convictions since her marriage to Yasin Malick in 2009. She vehemently criticizes the Indian government for imprisoning her husband, Yasin Malick, in a terror case.
Mushal has tirelessly advocated for the release of Yasin Malik, who is serving a life sentence in Tihar jail, New Delhi, in connection with a terror funding case. Yasin Malik chairs the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, an organization advocating for the independence of Kashmir from both India and Pakistan.
Yet, Mushal wasn't always a political activist; she started her journey as an artist in Pakistan. Her life took a different course when she entered into matrimony with Yasin Malik.
The beginnings
Yasin Malik reportedly met Mushal during a press conference in Pakistan back in 2005. At the time, she was an artist known for capturing the "raw beauty of the feminine mystique" in her paintings.
Her artistic creations, often depicting nudity, had the potential to stir religious sentiments, a sensitive matter in Pakistan. Hence, Mushal displayed her work cautiously at selective exhibitions within the country. Additionally, she directed the proceeds from her sales to charities supporting women in Pakistan.
Surprisingly, Yasin Malick did not object to her artwork, even though it diverged from certain Islamic tenets.
In 2009, Yasin Malik traveled to Islamabad to formalize his Nikah (Islamic marriage contract) with Mushal. The event was graced by numerous prominent political figures from Pakistan. In 2012, the couple welcomed a daughter, Razia Sultana.
Personal background
Mushal is an alumna of the London School of Economics. Her father, M.A. Hussein Mullick, was an international economist, while her mother, Rehana Hussein Mullick, held the position of Secretary General of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) women's wing.
Her brother, Haider Ali Hussein Malick, serves as a foreign policy analyst based in Washington D.C. Her sister, Sabien Hussein Mullick, is actively engaged in social work.
Mushal's stance on Yasin's sentencing
In May 2022, following her husband Yasin Malik's life imprisonment sentencing in a terror case, Mushal Mullick addressed a press conference. She vehemently asserted that all allegations against Yasin were baseless and his conviction resulted from a mock trial, reported Pakistan newspaper Dawn.
She urged international bodies such as the UN, UNHCR, and world powers to take cognizance of what she termed a "war crime." She implored them to intervene and halt what she perceived as grave injustice against Yasin Malik, a warrior for his homeland.
Yasin was apprehended in 2019 by the Indian government's National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a terror funding case. His situation intensified after the Pulwama attack in 2019, which claimed the lives of 47 CRPF personnel.
On May 10, 2022, Yasin Malik pled guilty to all charges and chose to represent himself, forgoing legal counsel. Subsequently, on May 19, 2022, the NIA court in New Delhi sentenced him to two concurrent life imprisonments and five 10-year prison terms.