Grand Mufti Kanthapuram Leads Critical Talks to Save Indian Nurse from Execution in Yemen

New Delhi (India) July 16: Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar is a well-known Sunni Muslim cleric and the Grand Mufti of India. He has intervened in talks with Talal Abdo Mahdi's family. This is done in an attempt to persuade them to accept "blood money" in return for forgiveness.

No Diplomatic Channels Between India and Houthis

The Indian government and a citizens' group have been working to prevent Priya's execution. Her mother is in Yemen to talk to the relatives of the murder victim. The amount to be paid has reportedly been the subject of fresh negotiations.

The situation was complicated because India and the Houthis do not have formal diplomatic relations. Houthis is a rebel organisation that controls a sizable portion of Yemen.

Sufi Scholar Umar bin Hafiz Steps In

Kanthapuram had discussions with Yemeni religious leaders. At Kanthapuram's request, a meeting has been arranged in Dhamar. It was presided over by Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz. He is a well-known scholar and Sufi leader. The meeting with Mahdi's relatives will be attended by representatives of Umar bin Hafiz.

According to Kanthapuram's office, a close cousin of the victim will join the Yemeni Shura Council. He serves as the Chief Justice of the Hodeidah State Court. He has travelled to Dhamar to participate in today's negotiations. Umar bin Hafiz instructed him to do the same.

Family’s Willingness Sparks Hope

The family's consent to speak with Umar bin Hafiz's representatives is viewed as a positive signal. It is a small step towards the efforts to stop the scheduled execution for the time being.

Mahdi's murder is an emotional issue for the family, the tribes and people living in the Dhamar area. According to Kanthapuram's office, this was the reason why prior communication with the victim's relatives was impossible.

The government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that there was "nothing much" they could do to ensure Nimisha Priya's freedom or stop her execution.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was told by Attorney General R Venkataramani that the government was making every effort "at a private level." They had reached out to some sheikhs and other powerful figures in Yemen.

In 2020, a Yemeni municipal court sentenced Nimisha Priya to death. In 2023, her family's appeal against the ruling in Yemen's Supreme Court was denied. Her death was authorised by Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of the rebel Houthis' Supreme Political Council, in January of this year.

She is presently imprisoned in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. According to Yemen's Sharia law, Nimisha Priya can only receive a reprieve if the victim's family agrees to accept the blood money, or "diyah," which is a financial assistance package worth USD 1 million that her negotiation team is offering.

Aadrika Tayal