The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has condemned the Indian authorities for not releasing Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders, activists, and youth unlawfully detained under false charges, despite court orders, calling the situation deeply troubling.

According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement in Srinagar, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas asserted that the detained leaders are being subjected to worst political vendetta for spearheading the Kashmiris’ right to selfdetermination movement. He pointed out that thousands of Kashmiris – including Hurriyat leaders, activists, youth, human rights and civil society workers, lawyers, and journalists – remain imprisoned in jails and detention centers. He expressed serious concern over the conditions faced by these detainees and called on international human rights organizations to apply pressure on India for their release.

Responding to remarks made by Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a press briefing in New Delhi, Minhas emphasized, ‘Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris and will always remain theirs; this is our narrative and our stance. No contrary claims can alter this reality.’ He criticized Indian authorities for attempting to mislead both the Indian public and the international community through illogical and unrealistic assertions regarding Jammu and Kashmir.

Minhas underscored that the Kashmir conflict poses a significant threat to regional peace and is a fundamental cause of tension between India and Pakistan. He noted that the Hurriyat Conference is closely monitoring developments following the recent socalled elections in the occupied territory. He also pointed out that the Modi government has effectively rendered the Chief Minister powerless by granting greater authority to the Lieutenant Governor.

Finally, he made it clear that Kashmiris have sacrificed countless lives in their struggle for freedom from Indian occupation, and the Hurriyat Conference will not permit anyone to undermine the sacrifices made by these martyrs.