ISLAMABAD: Over 4,000 Kashmiris are in jails in India and Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), human rights advocates, journalists, students, and ulema, have been detained against their will for demanding their inalienable right to self-determination and bringing up the issue of human rights abuses committed by Indian troops in the region.
According to a report released by Kashmir Media Service today, a significant number of detainees, including women, are facing severe legal measures such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). They have been subjected to solitary confinement in prisons.
Among these detainees are Azad Jammu and Kashmir individuals who crossed the Line of Control (LoC) by mistake on various occasions.
The report suggests that as part of the BJP-RSS regime’s punitive approach, more Hurriyat leaders, activists, and young individuals have been transferred from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to distant prisons within India. This cruel move appears to weaken their commitment to the ongoing freedom movement and inflict emotional and financial hardship on their families.
It is important to note that the BJP-led Indian government has been accused of orchestrating staged encounters in which many imprisoned Kashmiri youths lost their lives. Senior leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), including Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai and Altaf Ahmed Shah, also passed away during their incarceration. Even a mentally challenged Azad Jammu and Kashmir resident, Tabarak Hussain, who accidentally crossed the Line of Control in Rajouri district, was not spared and lost his life in Indian army custody.
In a previous incident, a resident of AJK’s Rawalakot, Zia Mustafa, who had mistakenly crossed the LoC on January 13, 2003, was arrested and later killed while in the custody of Indian occupation forces.
During that time, Zia Mustafa, an under-trial prisoner, was taken from Kot Bhalwal jail, Jammu, and killed in a staged encounter near the LoC in October 2021. His family had initially reported him missing to a local police station.
The report also highlights the ongoing unlawful detentions of Kashmiri journalists, including Asif Sultan, Fahad Shah, Irfan Mehraj, and Sajad Gul, as well as prominent human rights defenders like Khurram Pervaiz.
In response, Hurriyet leaders are calling for releasing all political prisoners and urging the international community to exert more pressure on India to grant Kashmiris their inherent right to self-determination and facilitate a resolution to the Kashmir dispute. —APP
