IIOJK turned into gigantic prison, continues to reel under Indian military siege: APHC
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has said that Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to reel under India’s brutal military occupation, where all rights of the people have been usurped and voices silenced under draconian black laws.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement in Srinagar, said military operations, house raids, and summoning youth to police stations for “verification” have further increased the miseries of Kashmiris who have been under constant siege since August 5, 2019.
The statement said the Indian BJP government and its establishment have turned IIOJK into a gigantic prison ahead of the Hindu Amarnath Yatra in the name of security for yatris. Notably, this deployment will be in addition to tens of thousands of troops already stationed across the territory. He said Kashmiris are not opposed to the Yatra, but the extension of its duration is a communally-driven agenda that will prove disastrous for the already fragile environment of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“In addition, the large influx of people will cause environmental pollution and accelerate glacier melt, which may lead to water scarcity and drought,” he said. He said Indian forces have intensified search and cordon operations, arrest sprees, and other atrocities on a large scale, creating an atmosphere of fear across the region.
Heavy deployment of troops, checking at every step, and frisking have not only made the lives of ordinary people a living hell but have also crippled business and economic activity, leaving thousands of Kashmiris without livelihoods.
The APHC said India turns IIOJK into a jail in the name of Yatra security while curbing the religious rights of Kashmiri Muslims and keeping mosques under siege. Kashmiri Muslims are not allowed to offer Juma and Eid prayers, and there is a ban on Muharram and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) processions in the occupied territory. He deplored Indian duplicity and called on the international community to take cognizance of the situation. He urged environmental experts worldwide to take note of the ecological hazards linked to the large-scale and extended Amarnath Yatra and save occupied Kashmir and its inhabitants from the disasters of climate change.
It may be mentioned here that the Amarnath Yatra 2026 for Indian Hindus is scheduled from July 3 to August 9, 2026, lasting 38 days. The APHC pointed out that India’s serious crimes against humanity in occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been documented by several global rights bodies.
