Islamabad, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, a senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference-Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK), has commemorated the 49th martyrdom anniversary of renowned Kashmiri freedom activist Ghulam Muhammad Bulla, who was killed in custody in 1975 after leading protests against the Indira-Abdullah Accord.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Bulla’s death in Central Jail Srinagar on February 15, 1975, followed his arrest by Indian police for his role in orchestrating a protest rally against the controversial political agreement between the Indian government and the leader of Jammu and Kashmir. Rehmani praised Bulla as a “daring soldier” of the Kashmir freedom struggle, noting his significant influence on the movement and the series of mass protests during the 1970s and 1980s that set the stage for the widespread uprising in 1990.

Rehmani also criticized the extension of Indian laws and post-August 5, 2019, colonial measures in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling on international powers to recognize these actions as overreaching. He highlighted the plight of thousands of Kashmiris, including political party leaders, who are currently imprisoned under fabricated charges, aimed at quelling dissent.

The dismissal of Kashmiri Muslim officers from their positions on unfounded allegations was particularly condemned by Rehmani, who pointed out the violations of the Jammu and Kashmir employees’ service code. He expressed grave concern over the ongoing illegal detention of Kashmiri activists in jails.

Rehmani’s statement included an appeal to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Human Rights Council, urging them to address the Indian government’s “humiliating and tyrannical behaviour” towards the Kashmiri people. He called for international intervention to compel New Delhi to halt its inhumane and repressive policies in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).