Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has accused India of employing harsh military tactics to suppress the legitimate struggle for self-determination in the occupied region of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Munhas stated in a recent meeting in Srinagar that participants reaffirmed their belief that India’s repressive measures will not succeed in silencing the Kashmiri people’s calls for freedom. The meeting condemned India’s ongoing military presence in Kashmir, asserting that dissent against Indian forces is being silenced through torture and other coercive measures.

The APHC expressed concern over India’s policies, which they claim are designed to instill fear and potentially alter the region’s demographic composition. The meeting emphasized that India’s objective is to suppress the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination through force.

Additionally, the APHC highlighted India’s use of stringent laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Public Safety Act (PSA), and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which they argue provide Indian forces with excessive authority without accountability. APHC leaders urged the international community to address human rights abuses in the occupied territory and to pressure New Delhi to revoke these laws.

The APHC also voiced grave concern regarding the situation of prominent political prisoners, including Chairman Masarat Aalam Butt and several others, demanding their immediate release from what they described as unlawful detention. The meeting included leaders and representatives from various units of the Hurriyat Conference.