SRINAGAR, Occupied Kashmir: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has strongly criticized the Hindutva-led Indian government for persistently prolonging the unlawful imprisonment of Hurriyat leaders and activists in various jails, citing one pretext after another.
According to a statement by an APHC spokesperson in Srinagar, the treatment of Kashmiri political prisoners—individuals of conscience—in Indian penitentiaries is unparalleled in the annals of human history. Many elderly leaders and activists suffer from multiple illnesses without receiving essential medical care.
The spokesperson praised the resilience of incarcerated figures like APHC Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Asiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, and numerous others detained in Tihar, Agra, Jodhpur, Karnal, and other Indian prisons for their sole ‘offense’ of advocating the right to self-determination, as pledged by the United Nations Security Council.
The statement underscored that life for Kashmiri residents under the oppressive Indian administration has become a nightmare. India has imposed militarized governance through a system of impunity laws, employing agencies like NIA, ED, SIA to stifle the genuine aspirations of Kashmiris for self-determination.
Expressing grave concern over ongoing cordon-and-search operations and home raids, the spokesperson highlighted how India has deprived Kashmiris of every basic right, including the right to live, while the Hindutva regime suppresses dissent in IIOJK with brute force.
The situation worsened with the appointment of RR Swain, an individual with RSS-inspired ideologies, as the territory’s police chief. His anti-Kashmir and anti-Muslim stances reflect a Hindutva-driven mindset, adding to the fears of the Kashmiri populace.
The APHC spokesperson urged the United Nations Council for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Asia Watch, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to compel India to allow immediate on-site assessments of the deplorable conditions faced by illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists.
