Srinagar, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, a senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, currently imprisoned, has called on the international community to acknowledge and address the rapidly worsening human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

According to Kashmir Media Service, in a message conveyed from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, expressed his deep concern over the lack of global response to the dire situation in Kashmir. He emphasized that the political, social, cultural, and religious rights of Kashmiri people are severely curtailed. Shah urged the international community to actively engage in finding an early and peaceful resolution to the Kashmir dispute, in line with the principle of the right to self-determination, as recognized universally.

Shah highlighted that despite India’s prolonged denial of their rights, the people of the occupied territory are entitled to enjoy liberty, dignity, and freedom as outlined in the United Nations charter, the Geneva Convention, and other international human rights treaties. He criticized the Indian government for attempting to suppress the Kashmiri people’s legitimate struggle for self-determination through military force over the past 76 years, including the deployment of a large number of troops in the region.

The APHC leader condemned the actions of these troops, which he claimed operate under draconian laws, leading to extrajudicial killings, detentions, massacres, targeted killings, sieges, torture, enforced disappearances, rape, and molestation. He stated that since August 5, 2019, the conditions in IIOJK have become extremely oppressive, turning the region into a living hell for its residents.

Shah appealed to the international community to recognize the ongoing state terrorism by India in IIOJK and to pressure India to resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, which he believes is essential for lasting peace in the region.