
Int’l Attention Urged on Escalating Situations in IIOJK and Palestine
May 22, 2025As the world deals with deepening geopolitical conflicts, veteran Kashmiri leader Muhammad Farooq Rehmani from IIOJK warns of growing global complicity in the suffering of both Kashmiris and Palestinians, urging immediate international intervention.
Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, former Convener of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) AJK chapter, has voiced strong concern over the continued exploitation of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine conflicts by global powers for political gain. In a statement from Srinagar, Rehmani accused the international community of failing to uphold justice in these long-standing disputes, allowing humanitarian catastrophes to worsen.
Drawing parallels between Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine, Rehmani condemned the Israeli military aggression in Gaza. He urged the United Nations to immediately halt the ongoing ground and air offensives aimed at forcibly displacing over a million Palestinians, made worse by the blockade of humanitarian aid, which has resulted in widespread hunger and suffering. He further criticized Arab regimes for their silence and complicity, stating that their alliances with Israel had abandoned Palestinian women, children, and orphans to face relentless violence.
Rehmani also denounced India’s treatment of Rohingya refugees, citing reports that many were forced into the sea near Burma in May 2025. He argued that these actions reflect a broader pattern of disregard for human rights under the Modi-led Indian regime.
Turning his attention to the situation in IIOJK, Rehmani expressed alarm over increasing state repression. He pointed to the targeted killings of pro-freedom leaders inside and outside the region, a wave of arrests following the latest India-Pakistan conflict, and the harassment of Kashmiri students in Indian educational institutions. He also condemned the separation of Kashmiri mothers from their children and the misuse of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to detain youth under fabricated charges, with prolonged legal processes that often force accused individuals to travel far from home just to attend court hearings.
Rehmani highlighted the closing of religious seminaries and the impact of the Awqaf Amendment Act, which he said infringes on the religious freedoms of Kashmiri Muslims. He alleged that under the Hindutva-driven policies of the BJP, religious sites are being closely monitored, and the public’s right to express dissent has been systematically curtailed.
He warned that the Muslim majority in IIOJK faces existential threats, including demographic change and ideological suppression. Rehmani emphasized that India’s aim is not governance, but control over identity, belief, and expression in Kashmir. The continuing detention of Kashmiris, many suffering from poor health, highlights the judiciary’s subservience to state agencies, he added.
Calling for immediate international engagement, Rehmani appealed to the UN and major world powers to address the Kashmir dispute seriously and implement relevant resolutions, ensuring the right to self-determination is not denied to future generations.