All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has termed the prevailing political situation in Jammu and Kashmir as extremely “worrying and disturbing”, saying that “the large-scale additional deployment of armed forces in cities and towns has created an atmosphere of panic and insecurity among the people”.
APHC said that besides continued policy of arrests, raids, killings and severe human rights violations continues unabated.
The group added that “according to newspaper reports, in these days of severe cold, people are being subject to regular stoppage and frisking on roads by the government forces who have set up roadblocks all over the city and towns, causing great harassment to them. Crackdowns are also routinely carried out in various areas and men and women paraded indiscriminately and being subject to harassment”.
APHC added: “The humanitarian and political crisis in Kashmir keeps worsening with passing time, and unless the conflict is addressed to be resolved, it is unlikely that the situation will change for the better.’
It also criticised authorities for “forcibly preventing Muslims of the valley from offering Friday prayers at Jammu and Kashmir’s largest place of worship and spiritual centre – Jama Masjid Srinagar – from 6 August 2021”.
It said the “religious sentiments of the people were being severely hurt by these measures”.
APHC demanded “release of its Chairman Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq who has been under illegal and arbitrary house detention since 5 August 2019 and also all all political leaders including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Mohtarma Aasiya Andrabi and hundreds of youth who are languishing in jails of Jammu and Kashmir and other various prisons in India”.
The statement of APHC further added: “The prevailing political situation in J-K and the arbitrary imprisonment of its leaders and youth call for the attention of the international human rights organisations.”
The APHC said, while demanding immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners including the Mirwaiz Umar.
