All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chapter Convener, Mahmood Ahmed Saghar, has expressed serious concern over the plight of illegally detained Kashmiris lodged in different jails of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and India. In a statement issued in Islamabad, he said that thousands of Kashmiris including APHC leaders, activists, youth, Ulema, human rights defenders, and journalists have been put in different jails of IIOJK and India for their political beliefs. He said that the jail authorities were not only treating these detainees inhumanely but also intentionally prolonging their illegal detention by not presenting them in courts on the days of hearing of the false cases registered against them.

The APHC-AJK Convener said that there was no legal or moral justification to keep political leaders in prison for a long period on fake charges leveled against them by the Indian authorities. He demanded their immediate and unconditional release. The Convener reiterated the Kashmiris' resolve to continue the struggle for securing their right to self-determination till it reached its logical conclusion. The APHC-AJK Chapter Convener said that the Indian authorities have been using various repressive measures, including arbitrary detentions, to silence the voices of Kashmiris who are seeking their right to self-determination. He said that the international community must take notice of the plight of Kashmiris and put pressure on India to release all political prisoners and allow Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)