APHC reiterates non-participation in electoral politics

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Pakistan chapter of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has restated its longstanding position of remaining outside electoral politics, saying it will neither convert itself into a political party nor back or oppose any political or religious group during elections.

The decision was made at an extraordinary high-level meeting held at the organisation’s office on Monday under the chairmanship of APHC convener Ghulam Mohammad Safi. Representatives of all affiliated units attended the meeting.

According to a statement issued by spokesperson Mushtaq Ahmed Butt, participants discussed the current political situation, the sensitive nature of the Kashmir dispute and the organisation’s future course of action before unanimously adopting what the statement described as “principled” decisions.

The forum reaffirmed in “clear and unequivocal terms” that the APHC would continue with its previous policy regarding the electoral process in both Azad Kashmir and Pakistan.

Participants said the Kashmir issue was a national, ideological and internationally recognised dispute linked to the right to self-determination, and should not be tied to “temporary political interests or electoral considerations”.

The meeting also stressed the importance of bringing together political and religious leadership, along with the wider public in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, around the Kashmir cause. It described the APHC’s neutral and balanced role as important for preserving its credibility and effectiveness as a collective voice.

Meeting outlines future course

According to the statement, the participants said the APHC, as the custodian of the legacy of Kashmiri martyrs, carried the responsibility of advancing what it called their unfinished mission of securing the right to self-determination.

The meeting resolved to make the organisation’s struggle more organised, effective and multidimensional, while continuing to follow peaceful means in line with international law and diplomatic norms.

It was also decided that APHC delegations would reach out to major political and religious parties in Pakistan and AJK. The purpose of these contacts, the statement said, would be to persuade them to include key aspects of the Kashmir dispute in their election manifestos so the issue could be highlighted at both political and public levels.

The APHC was described in the statement as a conglomerate of pro-freedom organisations seeking an end to India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting’s decisions underscored that, while the organisation intends to engage political and religious parties on the Kashmir issue, it will maintain its stated policy of non-participation in electoral politics.