Islamabad: Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, a leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter, emphasized that Hurriyat leaders who have been detained in India have devoted their lives to the Kashmir cause and the political future of the people in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Saghar stated in Islamabad that the people residing in the Indian-occupied territory are well aware that Hurriyat leaders, such as Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Massrat Aalam Butt, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom, and Dr. Qasim Fakhtoo, are being targeted for their political stance on the Kashmir issue. These leaders have spent significant portions of their lives in prisons, police stations, and interrogation centers for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Saghar also highlighted concerns regarding the declining health of these jailed leaders in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, Kot Bhalwal Jail, and other facilities, noting that instead of receiving medical care, the prisoners face harassment through baseless charges. He criticized the Indian BJP government and its administration in the region for using harsh tactics against Kashmiris, stating that such efforts would not succeed in quelling the freedom movement. He reaffirmed the commitment to the struggle for a plebiscite until complete success is achieved.

The APHC-AJK leader called upon the United Nations and global human rights organizations to take action concerning the health conditions of the detained Hurriyat leaders and activists and to ensure their early and safe release.