Srinagar, The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has declared that the key to lasting peace in South Asia is the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute through just means. This statement underscores the ongoing conflict’s role in regional stability and highlights the international community’s potential influence on its resolution.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC Spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas has called upon the UN Secretary General and the global community to press India to end its use of military force, human rights abuses, arbitrary detentions, and aggression against the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The spokesman criticized the recent increase in cordon and search operations by Indian troops and police, leading to the arrest of seven youths in Kulgam and Bandipora, asserting that such measures cannot quell the Kashmiri people’s determination for self-determination.
The APHC appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to counter India’s political and military strategies, which have heightened tensions in the region to a level where a nuclear confrontation seems a looming threat. The Conference condemned the BJP government’s sanctioning of human rights violations in IIOJK, emphasizing that these actions have not dampened the Kashmiri demand for self-determination.
The APHC’s demands include the withdrawal of Indian troops, the unconditional release of all Kashmiri political prisoners, the repeal of draconian laws, the restoration of civil and political rights in IIOJK, and the initiation of meaningful dialogue in accordance with UN resolutions to settle the Kashmir issue.
Separately, Hurriyat leaders including Saleem Zargar, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Dr. Irfan Khan, Abdul Rashid Butt, and Imtiyaz Reshi issued statements highlighting the dire situation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, urging India to respect democratic and human rights and to seek a political solution to the dispute.
Furthermore, Pasban-e-Hurriyat Chairman, Uzair Ahmad Ghazali, in a statement from Muzaffarabad, accused the Indian government under Narendra Modi of intensifying oppression in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He criticized Modi’s policies, asserting that Kashmiris remain undeterred in their quest for freedom, irrespective of Modi’s upcoming visit to the territory. Ghazali’s statement reflects the enduring spirit of the Kashmiri people in the face of adversity and their rejection of Indian attempts to undermine their struggle for independence.