Top incarcerated leaders of All Parties Hurriyat Conference have urged the United Nations to play an active role in resolving the long-pending Kashmir dispute to avert further conflict and suffering in South Asia.
According to a Kashmir Media Service report on Friday, APHC Chairman Masarat Aalam Butt and senior Hurriyat leader Shabbir Ahmad Shah, in their messages from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, stressed that Kashmir is a recognized international dispute and India’s persistent obstinacy cannot change the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.
They added that New Delhi’s repression cannot deter Kashmiris from their legitimate struggle for self-determination. The detained APHC leaders called for international intervention to pressure India to abandon its rigid and militaristic stance and to address the conflict in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiris. They warned that failure to resolve the dispute threatens peace and security in the region.
Meanwhile, the Modi regime has escalated its military presence in the Pir Panjal range of Jammu by deploying additional troops and paramilitary forces. Over ten battalions and more than 500 Special Forces personnel have been stationed across the districts of Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Doda, Kathua and Samba. To bolster their operations, new armored and mine-protected vehicles have been introduced. This increased military activity is aimed at targeting pro-freedom activists and suppressing their efforts to secure their UN-recognized right to self-determination. During the ongoing cordon and search operations and house raids in these districts, Indian forces are conducting widespread arrests, harassing local residents, including women and children, and vandalizing household belongings.
On the other hand, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressing a press conference in Srinagar criticized the BJP-led Indian government’s handling of the situation in IIOJK. He argued that the abrogation of Article 370, rather than fostering peace and prosperity as promised, has worsened conditions in the territory. He pointed to rising unemployment, soaring prices and ongoing violence as clear evidence of the BJP’s failure. Kharge condemned the government for stripping Kashmiris of their rights, emphasizing that the current approach has only deepened the people’s struggles.
