The All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders have rejected India’s self-styled census of 2024, characterizing it as an unwarranted intrusion into the personal affairs of Kashmiri people in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC leaders Ghulam Muhammad Khan Sopori, Syed Bashir Andrabi, Yasin Attai, Khawaja Firdous, Yasmeen Raja, Hafza Bano, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, Advocate Arshad Iqbal, Imtiyaz Reshi and Maulana Musaib Nadvi in their separate statements issued in Srinagar firmly asserted that the census constitutes a blatant violation of international laws, emphasizing the inherent right of the Kashmiri people to resist India’s unjust occupation of their territory.
Highlighting the historical context, the leaders contended that India’s actions in Kashmir since 1947, particularly its coercive and unlawful occupation, are unacceptable.
Despite enduring decades of oppression, including arrests, fake encounters, and property confiscation, the APHC leaders emphasized the unwavering commitment of the Kashmiri people to their ultimate goal of complete freedom from India. Furthermore, the statements shed light on the perceived manipulation of population figures in the census, with APHC leaders viewing this as a deliberate attempt to alter the demographic composition of the territory, potentially diminishing the Kashmiri majority and affecting their political representation.
Expressing concern for imprisoned leaders, youth and activists enduring physical and mental torment in Indian jails, the leaders called on international bodies, including the United Nations, to promptly intervene.
The statements shed light on the perceived manipulation of population figures in the census, which APHC leaders views as an attempt to turn the Kashmiri majority into a minority.—KMS
