APHC Condemns India’s Settler-Colonial Agenda in IIOJK

The APHC has condemned India’s escalating settler-colonial project in IIOJK, urging the international community to take action against what they describe as a calculated demographic engineering strategy.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has strongly criticized India’s ongoing settler-colonial activities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, a spokesperson for APHC, condemned the Indian government’s systematic land seizures and demographic engineering, accusing India of furthering its colonial occupation of the region.

In a statement issued from Srinagar, Minhas pointed out that India’s colonial presence in IIOJK began with the 1947 invasion of Srinagar, an event that marked the start of years of exploitation and suppression of the indigenous Kashmiri population. He emphasized that the August 5, 2019, revocation of IIOJK’s special status was another significant step in India’s colonization of the region, a move that, according to Minhas, fulfilled the long-standing objective of Hindutva forces to erase the unique identity of IIOJK.

Minhas also warned that India is altering the demographic makeup of IIOJK through the settlement of non-Kashmiri Hindus, pushing local residents to the margins, and exploiting the region’s resources under the shadow of heavy military presence. He likened these actions to Israel’s land grabs in Palestine, drawing stark parallels between the two.

India’s actions have been sharply criticized by APHC for violating numerous United Nations resolutions and international law, which prohibit altering the demographic composition of a disputed territory. The APHC spokesman urged the global community to take notice of India’s blatant colonialism in IIOJK and to hold India accountable for its actions.

“The international community’s silence in the face of India’s settler-colonial ambitions in IIOJK is unacceptable,” Minhas stated. He called on the world to break its silence and address the ongoing human rights violations and the exploitation of the region.

According to the APHC, India’s actions in IIOJK are not just about military control but also about transforming the region’s political and social landscape. By settling non-Kashmiri Hindus, New Delhi is changing the demographics in an effort to weaken the indigenous Kashmiri voice, further entrenching its colonial rule. The Hurriyat leadership views these actions as an infringement on the rights of the people of IIOJK and an attempt to alter the very essence of their cultural and political identity.

Minhas also highlighted the role of Indian business tycoons, who, according to the APHC, are being used as instruments of India’s colonial agenda. By investing in IIOJK, these business elites are accused of contributing to the further marginalization of the local population and the exploitation of Kashmir’s natural resources.

With the global community remaining largely silent on these developments, the APHC continues to call for international intervention to end what it views as India’s unchecked settler-colonial activities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.