BJP’s Kashmir census plan aims to include non-Kashmiris: APHC
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has said that the Kashmiri people are peacefully struggling for their fundamental right to Azaadi, but India is suppressing their voice and stance through military force and draconian laws.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said that the oppressed people of Kashmir are deprived of their basic human rights, including access to local resources, legal protections and economic opportunities.
The APHC further stated that India is continuously violating international laws and conventions in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and will never succeed in its nefarious designs against the sentiments of the Kashmiri people. It added that, under the Two-Nation Theory, Jammu and Kashmir should be part of Pakistan.
The statement also said that houses of Hurriyat members and activists are being raided, while individuals are being summoned to police stations and agency offices. They are being harassed and prevented from carrying out their political activities.
The spokesman said that the BJP regime is using black laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Public Safety Act (PSA), and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in IIOJK to silence dissent, adding that youth are being arrested in fabricated cases.
The APHC statement said that, as part of efforts to alter Kashmiris’ identity, India is granting domicile status to non-locals on a fast-track basis. It stated that issuing domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris violates international law and UN resolutions on Kashmir.
The spokesman said that a new census planned under the BJP government aims to include non-Kashmiris—such as members of the army, paramilitary forces, labourers, businessmen, employees and bureaucrats—who have been granted domicile certificates after August 2019.
Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas said that the Indian government should be held accountable for all violations of international laws and agreements in IIOJK. He added that the United Nations is morally bound to help resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute in accordance with its historical commitments and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
