APHC raises alarm over militarization in IIOJK, urges UN action on Kashmir dispute
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), while voicing concern over intensified Indian military and police drills and harassment of people in Indian illegally occupied Kashmir (IIOJK), has urged the United Nations to play its role in resolving the Kashmir dispute in line with its own resolutions.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas in a statement in Srinagar said that so-called civil defence air raid and blackout mock drills being conducted in several districts across IIOJK have triggered renewed fear among residents already living under heavy militarization.
He said that the people of the territory are subjected to continuous psychological pressure, arrests, mass surveillance, land confiscation, and demographic changes under the BJP-led Hindutva regime, turning IIOJK into a perpetual state of siege and deepening alienation among Kashmiris.
The APHC strongly criticized the proposed creation of separate colonies of Kashmiri Pandits and non-locals, saying that such actions are aimed at altering the demographic composition of the Muslim-majority territory. It said the people of Kashmir would firmly resist all such measures and would not allow any attempt to change the identity of the territory.
Referring to the continued illegal detention of Hurriyet leadership, repeated house raids and arrests, the spokesman urged the international human rights bodies to take serious note of the situation and hold the Indian authorities accountable for ongoing violations
The APHC reiterated that durable peace in South Asia is directly linked to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, who have been awaiting a settlement since 1947.
It further emphasized that Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory, and not an integral part of India, as the issue remains pending before the United Nations for nearly eight decades.
The APHC said the people of Kashmir are not opposed to dialogue, but stressed that any meaningful peace process must be based on the genuine aspirations of the Kashmiri people and aimed at resolving the long-standing dispute in a just and lasting manner.
