The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has once again emphasized that a durable peace in South Asia is unattainable unless the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement, reiterated that Kashmir remains a disputed territory under illegal Indian occupation.

He affirmed that the Kashmiri people will continue their struggle for the right to self-determination, as promised under United Nations resolutions. The statement condemned the Indian government’s continued might policy and illegal detention of Hurriyat leaders and activists, and accused the Modi-led BJP government of using illegal and crude tactics to suppress the Kashmiri sentiments and stand on Kashmir dispute.

The APHC also renewed its demand for the reopening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad-Rawalpindi Road, stressing its economic and humanitarian importance. It highlighted that cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade particularly in Kashmiri fruits and local produce, would boost the region’s economy and promote intra-Kashmiri interaction, a step toward peace and mutual understanding.

The route was suspended by the Indian government in March 2019, and its closure, along with disruptions on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, has led to severe shortages of goods in the Valley, especially during the critical fruit export season.

The APHC has urged the international community and the United Nations to intervene and facilitate a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue in accordance with international law and UN resolutions. The group stressed that without addressing this core issue, peace between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan remains elusive.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)