APHC Condemns BJP Government’s Settler Colonial Expansion in IIOJK

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has issued a strong condemnation of the Indian BJP government’s ongoing settler colonial project in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement from Srinagar, criticized the government’s intensified actions since the revocation of IIOJK’s special status on August 5, 2019.

Minhas highlighted a range of severe actions by the BJP-led government, including torture, harassment, killings, fake encounters, arrests, house raids, and the seizure of Kashmiri properties. He emphasized that these measures aim to transform the region’s Muslim majority into a minority, describing the situation as an effort to break the resolve of Kashmiris in their pursuit of resolving the Kashmir dispute.

The APHC statement accused the Indian government, alongside its local administration in IIOJK, of aggressively expanding a settler colonial project. This involves unlawfully confiscating and attaching properties of Kashmiris and settling non-locals in the occupied territory. These actions are seen as a strategy to undermine the local population’s resolve and alter the demographic composition of the region.

Minhas also drew attention to the widespread incarceration of Kashmiris under false charges, reaffirming that the people of Kashmir reject the illegal occupation of their homeland. He pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir is recognized as a disputed territory by the United Nations, which has passed several resolutions on the matter. Despite ongoing hardships and human rights violations, the APHC spokesman reaffirmed the Kashmiri people’s determination to continue their peaceful struggle for the right to self-determination.

In his statement, Minhas urged the Indian government to abandon its military and communal policies in Kashmir and honor its commitment to grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination. He called on the United Nations and world powers to intervene and address the humanitarian crisis in Kashmir, urging a resolution of the dispute in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.

The APHC’s condemnation and call for international intervention highlight the ongoing struggle in Kashmir and the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The organization’s stance reflects the deep-seated grievances and aspirations of the Kashmiri people amidst an increasingly oppressive environment.