SRINAGAR: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Wednesday paid tribute to the victims of the 1993 Bijbehara massacre, reiterating its commitment to continue the struggle for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and calling on the United Nations to act against ongoing human rights abuses in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In a statement issued in Srinagar, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas said the massacre, in which more than 50 civilians were killed when Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel opened fire on peaceful protesters in Bijbehara on October 22, 1993, remained a “stain on humanity and a symbol of Indian brutality.”
He demanded an impartial international investigation into the incident and other cases of mass killings in the region, stressing that justice for the victims had long been denied.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir will continue their peaceful struggle until their UN-recognized right to self-determination is achieved,” Minhas said, condemning what he described as India’s “iron-fist policy” and “systematic human rights violations” in the occupied territory.
The APHC spokesperson warned that peace in the region would remain elusive until those responsible for crimes against Kashmiris were held accountable and the dispute was resolved in line with UN resolutions.
He described India’s military presence in Kashmir as “one of the darkest chapters in modern colonial history,” saying it had perpetuated instability, fear, and violence in the region since 1947.
Minhas also urged people in occupied Jammu and Kashmir to observe October 27 as Black Day to mark the anniversary of India’s military occupation of the territory.
Appealing to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, he called for immediate international intervention to address the worsening humanitarian situation in IIOJK. “Kashmiris are being brutally victimized by over one million Indian forces, and the world cannot remain silent in the face of such repression,” he said.
