The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has strongly denounced India’s continued detention of thousands of Kashmiris, including political leaders, and demanded their immediate release, saying the use of harsh laws is aimed at stifling dissent and weakening the Kashmiri freedom movement. According to the Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas said in a statement issued in Srinagar that more than 4,000 Kashmiris are currently held in Indian jails under laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

He said Hurriyat leaders are repeatedly arrested on what the APHC describes as fabricated charges, leaving them without political space and curbing democratic expression in the region. The APHC further stated that detainees are often kept in dark cells, deprived of medical treatment, and subjected to harsh conditions. It added that families remain in constant fear for the safety and health of their loved ones, calling the situation a serious violation of international standards, including those outlined in the Geneva Conventions. 

The APHC said that the continued use of what it calls “black laws” reflects, in its view, India’s worst form of political retaliation, arguing that arrests and prolonged detentions are intended to weaken the determination of Kashmiris who support the freedom movement. The APHC also appealed to the international community to step in urgently to help secure the release of all Kashmiris it describes as illegally detained and to ensure the protection of human rights in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)