SRINAGAR: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has welcomed the resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India and lauded the United States’ renewed interest in mediating the long-standing Kashmir dispute.
In a statement issued in Srinagar, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas thanked the US for facilitating an environment conducive to talks. He noted that Washington’s efforts, particularly under President Donald Trump’s administration, could help pave the way for a just and lasting resolution to the issue that lies at the heart of tensions between two nuclear neighbours.
“The US has a critical role to play in fostering a conducive atmosphere for meaningful dialogue,” Minhas said, adding that the inclusion of genuine Kashmiri leadership, most of whom are currently imprisoned in Indian jails, is essential to ensure that any negotiated outcome truly reflects the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Highlighting the significance of international engagement, the APHC noted that the US State Department had in September 2019 urged India to engage politically with Kashmiri representatives and fulfil its commitment to hold democratic elections in the region. President Trump, during the same period, reiterated his offer to mediate between Pakistan and India on Kashmir.
The Hurriyat Conference declared its readiness to participate in any peace initiative aimed at a dignified and enduring resolution. “The time is ripe for the US to take a leading role in stabilising the region through fair mediation,” the statement read, stressing that peace in South Asia hinges on the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Calling for an end to what it described as India’s rigid and hegemonic policies, the APHC urged New Delhi to adopt a sincere and constructive approach to dialogue. It reiterated its commitment to fostering peace, dialogue, and regional friendship, while insisting that the voices of Kashmiris must be central to any final settlement.
The statement also called on the Indian government to immediately release all political prisoners, including APHC Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt, who, along with many others, is detained in distant prisons across India and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The APHC condemned ongoing raids and harassment of families in Srinagar and across the Jammu and Kashmir region, characterising them as part of a broader campaign of intimidation. It appealed to the United Nations to deploy monitoring teams to assess the human rights situation and escalating repression in the occupied territory.
Expressing solidarity with victims on both sides of the Line of Control, including those in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and IIOJK, the APHC reiterated that Kashmiris remain the worst sufferers of the unresolved conflict.
