Srinagar, In a stark declaration, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has claimed that the Indian government has effectively turned Jammu and Kashmir into a vast open-air prison for its residents, with a substantial military presence that imposes severe restrictions on the local populace.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, a senior APHC leader currently incarcerated in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, has relayed a message asserting that the heavy deployment of Indian troops is a method of victimization against the Kashmiri people. He argues that this deployment is a response to the Kashmiris’ continued demand for their right to self-determination. Shah highlighted that the military-to-civilian ratio in the region is the highest globally, contributing to a pervasive climate of fear and insecurity among the inhabitants.

Shah further accused the Indian government of confiscating properties of local Kashmiris as a tactic to suppress their quest for self-determination, labeling such actions as political vengeance by the Narendra Modi-led government. The APHC leader described the ongoing military operations, arrests, and acts of terror by Indian troops as deliberate efforts to erode the economic foundation of the Kashmiri people, making them homeless in their own land under various pretexts.

In his message, Shah called upon the United Nations Secretary-General and the international community to intervene and facilitate the resolution of the Kashmir conflict in a manner that honors the will of the Kashmiri people.