APHC raises alarm over plight of detained Kashmiris, demands their immediate release
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has expressed deep concern over the condition of Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders, activists, and youth who remain illegally detained in jails, urging their immediate release.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement in Srinagar, said that there is hope that senior Hurriyat leader Shabbir Ahmed Shah will be freed following the bail granted by the Indian Supreme Court. He noted that Shabbir Ahmed Shah has faced prolonged illegal detention in fabricated cases for several years.
The spokesperson highlighted the continued detention of thousands of Kashmiris, including Hurriyat leaders, activists, ordinary Kashmiri youth, human rights defenders, scholars, lawyers, students, and civil society members, languishing in jails across IIOJK and India. He said these detained Kashmiris are being subjected to large-scale political revenge.
“India cannot stop the Kashmiri people from pursuing their legitimate right to self-determination through illegal detentions and other repressive measures,” Minhas said.
He called for the immediate release of all detained Kashmiris, including APHC chairman Massarat Alam Butt, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Aasiya Andrabi, Naheeda Nasreen, Fahmeeda Sofi, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Meraajudin Kalwal, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Shahidul Islam, Moulvi Bashir Ahmed Irfani, Bilal Siddiqi, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Dr Hameed Fayaz, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Dr Muhammad Shafi Shariati, Noor Muhammad Fayaz, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Hayat Ahmed Butt, Advocate Zahid Ali, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Fayaz Hussain Jaferi, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, Umar Adil Dar, Saleem Nanaji, Muhammad Yasin Butt, human rights defender Khurrum Parvez and journalists Irfan Majeed.
Minhas stressed that all these detainees are victims of the BJP-led Indian government’s political vendetta, noting that the Kashmiri people take pride in their steadfastness despite years of detention under fabricated charges. He added that India’s targeting of these leaders and activists for advocating a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir dispute has not weakened their resolve and that they remain steadfast in their principled position.
The APHC spokesperson appealed to international human rights organizations, including Asia Watch and Amnesty International, to exert pressure on India for the release of all Kashmiri political prisoners.
