DFP denounces escalating HR violations, arbitrary arrests in IIOJK
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) has strongly condemned the escalating human rights violations and illegal detentions of innocent Kashmiris, particularly the ongoing witch-hunt against educated youth and professionals by Indian forces in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).top
According to Kashmir Media Service, DFP spokesperson Advocate Arshad Iqbal in a statement issued in Srinagar expressed his party’s serious concern over the arbitrary detention of hundreds of civilians arrested during cordon and search operations (CASOs) conducted across the region.
“Nearly 1,500 civilians, mostly youth, have been detained during the massive CASOs and raids carried out across the Kashmir Valley and Muslim-majority areas of the Jammu region,” he said. The arrested people, including medical professionals and pro-freedom activists, have been booked under draconian laws, he lamented.
The spokesperson also denounced the harassment of residents during raids, as well as incidents of vandalism and theft of personal belongings by Indian forces.
Terming these actions a form of collective punishment, Iqbal said that the confiscation of civilians’ properties was part of the Indian government’s broader strategy to disempower the people of occupied Kashmir.
He also condemned the targeting of medical professionals based on fabricated charges and concocted narratives.
Referring to the recent explosion near the Red Fort in New Delhi, Iqbal noted that soon after the incident, a vicious media campaign was launched to malign and dehumanize Kashmiris and their peaceful struggle for the right to self-determination.
“It is quite unfortunate that Kashmiris have become easy scapegoats for Indian leaders, who have developed a habit of blaming them for every untoward incident that occurs in India,” he said.
Iqbal urged international human rights organizations to take serious notice of the deteriorating political and human rights situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and take concrete steps to end the ongoing witch-hunt against Kashmiris.
He also called for holding the Indian government accountable for the crimes being committed by its forces in the occupied territory.
