APHC-AJK holds protest in Islamabad against India’s fresh crackdown in IIOJK
Hurriyat leaders seek urgent global intervention to halt mass arrests, raids and rights abuses in Kashmir
Islamabad: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK) chapter held a peaceful protest demonstration outside the National Press Club in Islamabad against the recent mass arrests, house raids and escalating Indian state terrorism in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the demonstration was led by APHC-AJK Convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi and attended by Hurriyat leaders, political and social activists, and a large number of supporters.
The protesters carried banners and placards condemning India’s continued atrocities, arbitrary arrests and grave human rights violations in IIOJK. They urged the international community to take immediate notice of the worsening situation and hold India accountable for its repressive policies in the occupied territory.
Addressing the gathering, Ghulam Muhammad Safi said the BJP-led Indian government had unleashed a fresh wave of repression in IIOJK, with more than 3,500 Kashmiri youth and civilians arrested during the past few days. He said the detainees had been subjected to torture, harassment and other retaliatory measures, describing the ongoing crackdown as a blatant violation of international human rights law and the Geneva Conventions.
He said India could never suppress the Kashmiris’ indigenous freedom movement through force, intimidation and state terrorism. He called upon the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), international human rights organizations and peace-loving countries to take urgent notice of India’s continued atrocities, ensure the release of all political detainees and play an effective role in securing the Kashmiris’ internationally recognized right to self-determination in accordance with the UN resolutions.
Speaking on the occasion, senior Hurriyat leaders Mahmood Ahmad Saghar and Shamim Shawl said India was making futile attempts to crush the Kashmiris’ legitimate and peaceful freedom movement through military might and coercive measures. They urged the international community to intervene to stop Indian state terrorism in IIOJK, address the deteriorating human rights situation and ensure the immediate release of all illegally detained Kashmiris.
The protest concluded with a special prayer for the martyrs of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the speedy recovery of the injured, the release of all detained Hurriyat leaders and political prisoners, and the success of the Kashmiris’ just struggle for freedom.
