The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has welcomed the resumption of Pakistan-India talks and the mediation efforts by the United States on the Kashmir dispute. According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, thanked the United States for its mediation offer.

He said the U.S. is playing a role in creating an atmosphere conducive to meaningful dialogue between Pakistan and India for the final settlement of the Kashmir dispute. He emphasized that the genuine Kashmiri leadership, most of whom are languishing in Indian jails, should be part of the proposed talks to ensure any solution reflects the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The APHC said that with the Trump administration prioritizing trade and peace, the time is ripe for the U.S. to assume a key mediator role in resolving the Kashmir issue, promoting political and economic stability in the region. The spokesman added that the participation of the Hurriyat leadership would ensure that the voices of those most affected are heard, making the outcome more legitimate and sustainable.

He recalled that the U.S. State Department in September 2019 urged India to resume political engagement with Kashmiri leaders and hold promised elections. President Donald Trump also reiterated his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue on September 9, 2019. APHC expressed readiness to contribute to the peace process, aiming to create an atmosphere conducive to an honourable resolution of the dispute.

It urged the Indian government to abandon its rigid and hegemonic policies and adopt a sincere and constructive approach to dialogue. The APHC reiterated its commitment to fostering peace and friendship between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, asserting that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute is the key to lasting peace. 

The APHC also called on the Indian government to release all political prisoners, including APHC Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt, detained in various jails across India and IIOJK—many in far-off prisons. The APHC also condemned the continued house raids and harassment of families in Srinagar, across the Kashmir Valley, and in the Jammu region.

It urged the United Nations to dispatch monitoring teams to assess the deteriorating ground situation in occupied Kashmir.  Reiterating solidarity with the victims in Pakistan, as well as the residents along the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and IIOJK, the APHC said that the Kashmiri people remain the worst sufferers of this unresolved dispute.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)