APHC-AJK expresses concern, condemnation over fake encounters, extrajudicial killings in IIOJK
Islamabad: All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter has expressed deep concern and strong condemnation over the increasing trend of fake encounters and extrajudicial killings by Indian troops in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC-AJK chapter Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, General Secretary Advocate Pervaiz Ahmed Shah and Information Secretary Mushtaq Ahmed Butt in their joint statement in Islamabad said these actions are not only a grave violation of fundamental human rights but also a clear breach of international law, Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Charter.
They termed the recent extrajudicial killing of a Kashmiri youth Rashid Ahmed Mughal in Arahama area of Ganderbal as a worrying example and said this incident reflects the systematic policy under which the Indian forces are deliberately targeting Kashmiri youth.
According to them, such incidents are not just individual incidents but part of a coordinated strategy, aimed at spreading fear and panic among the Kashmiri people and suppressing their legitimate struggle for self-determination.
Paying tribute to Rashid Ahmed Mughal on his martyrdom, they said the people of Kashmir have been rendering unprecedented sacrifices for a great cause and their blood will not go waste but would definitely bring positive results.
The Hurriyat leaders said more than 96,489 Kashmiris have been martyred since 1989, of which 7,415 people died in fake encounters and in custody. These figures are clear evidence that the state-level violation of human lives has become a norm in the occupied territory, they added.
They further said the extraordinary immunity enjoyed by the Indian forces under draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA) has completely freed them from accountability.
The leaders said the current Indian government, which is influenced by the Hindutva ideology, is specifically targeting Kashmiri youth to weaken the spirit of resistance. However, they clarified that history is a witness that the legitimate and lawful struggle of a nation cannot be suppressed through force and coercion, and the Kashmiri people are determined to achieve their inalienable right to self-determination.
They called upon the international community, especially the United Nations, international human rights organizations and influential states, to take immediate notice of the ongoing extrajudicial killings and fake encounters in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and initiate a transparent and impartial international investigation.
Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Advocate Pervaiz Ahmed Shah and Mushtaq Ahmed Butt reiterated the resolve that all attempts to subdue the Kashmiri people through force will fail and the people of Kashmir will continue their struggle at all costs, until they get their fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination.
