Muzaffarabad: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Tuesday strongly condemned the sentencing of senior Kashmiri Hurriyat leader and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Aasiya Andrabi and her two associated by an Indian court, terming the verdict a manifestation of \u201cpolitical coercion\u201d aimed at silencing dissent in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a social media post on X, PM Raja Mumtaz Rathore denounced the life imprisonment awarded to Aasiya Andrabi, along with 30-year sentences handed down to her associates Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen by a special court of India\u2019s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese verdicts are not about justice; they are instruments of political coercion designed to criminalise dissent and suppress the legitimate voice of the Kashmiri people,\u201d he said, adding that targeting women for their political beliefs laid bare the deep bias in the system.<\/p>\n
Andrabi is the founder of the Dukhtaran-i-Millat organization. The court sentenced her, Fehmida and Nasreen under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).<\/p>\n
Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh of the specially designated NIA Court handed down the sentences after hearing arguments about the quantum of punishment.<\/p>\n
The three were convicted on January 14, 2026, under various provisions of the UAPA and the Indian Penal Code, including \u201ccharges of conspiracy to commit militant acts and waging war against the state\u201d.<\/p>\n
The AJK premier said the decision reflected a broader pattern in which peaceful political expression in the occupied territory was being met with punitive measures. \u201cThis is not the rule of law; it is the systematic criminalisation of a legitimate political struggle for the internationally recognised right to self-determination,\u201d Rathore said.<\/p>\n
He urged the United Nations and international human rights organisations to take immediate notice of the development and play their role in ensuring the release of Kashmiri political prisoners. \u201cThe people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir cannot be subdued through intimidation. Their resolve for freedom, justice and dignity will endure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, APHC-AJK leader Altaf Ahmed Bhat described the case as politically motivated and fabricated under the \u201cdraconian\u201d UAPA.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese fabricated cases are not about justice. They are designed to imprison, discredit and destroy the leadership of a people striving for their basic rights,\u201d Bhat said. He said the Indian authorities were routinely denying medical treatment, ignoring credible health needs, and keeping Hurriyat leaders in harsh conditions, amounting to \u201cgradual elimination inside jail walls\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not justice; this is persecution. When judicial systems are used as instruments of repression, detainees become prisoners of politics, not law. \u201cThese tactics mirror a larger strategy aimed at crushing Kashmiri political movements through manufactured charges and prolonged incarceration rather than through fair and open political dialogue,\u201d Bhat stated.<\/p>\n
He urged the international community, human rights watchdogs, and the United Nations to take urgent action, hold India accountable, and pressure New Delhi to release all Kashmiri political detainees, implement UN resolutions on Kashmir, and facilitate the long-delayed process of plebiscite and the right to self-determination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Muzaffarabad: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore on Tuesday strongly condemned the sentencing of senior Kashmiri Hurriyat leader and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Aasiya Andrabi and her two associated by an Indian court, terming the verdict a manifestation of \u201cpolitical coercion\u201d aimed at silencing dissent in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":193396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-197113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ajk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t