In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has said that senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has completed 40 months of arbitrary and extra-judicial house detention. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been under continued house arrest since August 05, 2019 when the Modi regime repealed the special status of IIOJK. The APHC in a statement issued in Srinagar said this extra-judicial incarceration of the Mirwaiz without being informed reasons for it or any charges levelled against him, is gross violation of fundamental human rights of a person and is in complete violation of the Human Rights Convention of which India is a signatory.

It is also a violation of Article 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India, it added. Yet for the last 40 consecutive months, despite appeals for his release from all quarters, being the religious head of the territory also, he continues to be incarcerated, it deplored. The APHC said that it salutes the courage and determination of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is patiently and with dignity enduring this incarceration for standing firm on his principled political stand with regard to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and peace in the subcontinent.

Meanwhile, APHC also expressed serious concern over the plight of Kashmiri political leaders, activists, journalists and youth, languishing in different jails of India and the territory, many without trials and under draconian laws, stating their plight is worrisome as they are simply left to suffer in jails for their convictions. It emphasised that policies based on oppression and coercion, are short lived and cannot alter the facts of history. Problems and disputes have to be resolved sooner or later and peaceful negotiations provide the best option, it added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP