APHC Demands UN Intervention for Release of Detained Kashmiri Leaders

As thousands of Kashmiris continue to suffer behind bars, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has made an urgent plea to the United Nations for justice, calling the detentions a clear case of political persecution.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has strongly condemned the prolonged and unlawful detention of Hurriyat leaders, activists, and other political prisoners in Indian and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) jails.

In a statement issued from Srinagar, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas appealed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to take immediate action for the release of these detainees. He described their imprisonment as politically motivated and a form of revenge for challenging India’s illegal occupation of J&K.

Minhas criticized the Indian government for using its investigative agencies as tools of oppression against the Kashmiri leadership. He said the detainees are being punished for their legitimate demands, which include the right to self-determination and a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir dispute.

The APHC highlighted that prominent leaders such as Masarrat Alam Butt, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, and several others are currently held in New Delhi’s notorious Tihar Jail and various prisons across India.

The statement named numerous political detainees including Ayaz Akbar, Pir Saifullah, Merajuddin Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Bilal Siddiqi, Molvi Bashir Irfani, Ameer Hamza, Dr. Hameed Fayaz, and Mushtaqul Islam. Their continued imprisonment, often without fair trial, is seen as an attempt to silence the voices representing the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Despite the harsh conditions and continued repression, the APHC affirmed that the resolve of the Kashmiri leadership and public remains unshaken. “India’s brutal policies have failed in the past and will fail again,” the spokesman declared, emphasizing the people’s unwavering commitment to their freedom struggle.

The APHC called upon international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to investigate these violations and advocate for the release of the detainees.

Minhas also urged the UN Human Rights Council and the broader international community to take serious notice of India’s political vendetta and human rights violations in IIOJK.

Reaffirming the importance of a peaceful solution, the APHC appealed to the United Nations to implement its resolutions on Kashmir and ensure the rights of the people of IIOJK are respected.

The APHC reiterated that peace in South Asia is impossible without justice for the Kashmiri people and a settlement of the dispute that reflects their will.