The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has expressed deep concern over the dire situation of illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and  activists held in inhumane conditions in jails across Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and India.  According to the Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, lamented that despite the worsening health conditions of the detained leaders and activists, the Hindutva-driven BJP-led jail authorities have ignored their legitimate legal and medical needs. 

The spokesman strongly condemned the denial of basic amenities, including legal facilities, to the incarcerated Hurriyat leaders and activists, calling it a blatant violation of prisoners’ rights as guaranteed by international human rights charters.  The APHC urged the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and other human rights organizations to take immediate notice of the plight of these illegally detained individuals held in various jails across India and IIOJK. 

The statement highlighted that APHC Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen, Ayaz Akbar, Pir Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Shahidul Islam, Syed Shakeel Yousaf, Syed Shahid Yousaf, Dr. Hameed Fayaz, Ameer Hamza, Mushtaqul Islam, Muhammad Yousaf Mir, Muhammad Yousaf Falahi, Muzaffar Ahmad Dar, Maulvi Bashir Irfani, Bilal Siddiqi, Abdul Ahad Parra, Zaffar Akbar Butt, Firdous Ahmed Shah, Umar Adil Dar.

Dr. Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Dr. Muhammad Shafi Shariaty, Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Butt, Aadil Zargar, Assadullah Parray, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, Fayaz Hussain Jafri and others are suffering from multiple health issues.  Many of them have been imprisoned for years, enduring harsh conditions while advocating for the right to self-determination and freedom from Indian occupation.  The spokesman paid tribute to the resilience and unwavering commitment of the Kashmiri prisoners, stating that the Indian jail authorities have failed to break their spirit.

He called on the United Nations Secretary-General to take urgent notice of the deteriorating health of these detainees and to pressure India to allow human rights organizations to visit the jails and assess the prisoners’ conditions.  The APHC also reiterated its demand for an early resolution to the Kashmir dispute in line with the United Nations Security Council resolutions. The statement emphasized that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have made immense sacrifices since India’s illegal occupation in 1947, and their struggle for justice and self-determination continues.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)