ISLAMABAD: The All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC) has appealed to the international community to facilitate the just settlement of the longstanding Kashmir dispute in the interest of peace in South Asia.
APHC spokesman, Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas in a statement said that the lingering Kashmir dispute poses a grave threat to peace and stability in the entire region.
He said that the BJP-led Indian government, instead of taking steps to resolve the dispute in a peaceful manner, was banning pro-freedom one after another in IIOJK to further suppress the Kashmiris righteous demand of right to self-determination.
He said banning of political parties in IIOJK is part of Indian government’s relentless campaign to subjugate the political demand of the Kashmiris and persecute their leadership.
The statement said India must know that ideas can’t be banned or jailed by resorting to colonial tactics. He said that the Modi-led Indian regime must remember that pro-freedom parties represent the Kashmiris’ aspiratio
ns, adding, ‘Banning parties or attaching properties linked to them will not detach the IIOJK people from their righteous demand for right to self-determination’.
He said Indian agencies are trying to divide people of Kashmir on sectarian and communal lines to divert the attention of the international community from the real issue of Kashmir, which is once again reverberating at the world forums.
He said that that the Kashmiris’ aspirations should be considered and a realistic approach should be adopted to move forward and initiate a meaningful dialogue between India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris to settle the dispute.
The APHC spokesman said that meaningful and result-oriented dialogue process was the only way to settle the Kashmir dispute. He urged the world to impress upon India to shun its stubborn approach, respect the Kashmiris’ righteous demand and work towards resolving the dispute amicably.