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Islamabad: Senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM), Altaf Ahmed Bhat, strongly condemned the ongoing campaign of raids, cordon-and-search operations, and mass arrests by Indian forces across occupied Jammu & Kashmir. He expressed grave concern over the increasing repression and the deteriorating situation of political prisoners.
In a statement from Islamabad, Bhat said, “The Indian authorities are turning our homeland into the world’s largest prison, targeting innocent civilians, including women, and seizing personal property in an attempt to crush the legitimate political aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Despite decades of oppression, they have failed to break our spirit or suppress our demand for self-determination.”
He highlighted the worsening condition of detained Hurriyat leaders, including Masarat Alam Butt, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, Asiya Andrabi and others who continue to face inadequate access to medical care and basic facilities in Indian jails. Bhat described this as a serious human rights violation and urged international organizations to intervene.
Altaf Ahmed Bhat also emphasized that peace in South Asia is unattainable until the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
He urged the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the international community to play their due role in ensuring the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairman JKSM Bhat reaffirmed that the people of Kashmir will continue their peaceful struggle until their internationally recognized right to self-determination is realized. He called upon Kashmiris in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan, and across the globe to remain steadfast and united in their pursuit of justice, freedom, and dignity.
