SRINAGAR: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has called on the international community to step up its efforts to resolve the long-standing Kashmir dispute, urging that the solution be in line with United Nations resolutions.
In a statement issued from Srinagar, APHC spokesman Abdul Rashid Minhas criticized the Indian government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, asserting that their belief in changing the dynamics of the Kashmir dispute through continued repression is misguided.
He emphasized that the Kashmiris’ struggle for freedom would not be silenced by state violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
Minhas pointed out that the situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) had worsened dramatically since the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in August 2019, turning the region into a “living hell” for its residents.
The APHC condemned the use of draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Public Safety Act (PSA), and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which the Indian government has employed to suppress the Kashmiri people. These laws have facilitated the arbitrary arrest and killing of innocent civilians, with many young Kashmiris tortured in custody, some martyred and buried in unmarked graves, the APHC said.
The APHC also expressed grave concern about the deteriorating health of Muhammad Yasin Malik, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike in Tihar Jail.
The statement reaffirmed that despite India’s use of repressive measures, the Kashmiri people’s desire for freedom remains unwavering. The APHC reiterated Pakistan’s moral, diplomatic, and political support for the Kashmiri cause.
