ISLAMABAD ( WNAM REPORT): Altaf Ahmed Bhat, Senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Salvation Movement (JKSM) has strongly condemned the latest sentencing of senior Hurriyat leader and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Aasiya Andrabi to life imprisonment and her associates Fehmida Sofi and Nahida Nasreen to 30 years in prison, in what he described as a politically-motivated and fabricated case by an Indian court.
In a statement issued, Bhat said that the way the verdict was framed under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) reflects a continuing pattern of repression by Indian authorities against pro-freedom voices in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K). He noted that such tactics undermine the rule of law and are part of a broader effort to silence dissent.
“These fabricated cases are not about justice,” Bhat said. “They are designed to imprison, discredit and destroy the leadership of a people striving for their basic rights.” He stated that the same pattern has been used repeatedly to target Kashmir’s political leadership — including the detention assassinations of leaders such as Ashraf Sehrai, Syed Ali Geelani and Altaf Ahmed Shah; who, after being denied proper medical care and basic rights in custody, ultimately lost their lives.
Bhat reminded that India’s authorities routinely deny medical treatment, ignore credible health needs, and keep Hurriyat leaders in harsh conditions that amount to a slow form of elimination inside jail walls. He highlighted that incarcerated leaders like Yaseen Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Masarat Alam Bhat,Dr Abdul Hameed Fayyaz, Zaffar Akbar Bhat, and others continue to languish in Indian prisons without due process, while many face deteriorating health without access to needed medical care.
“This is not justice ; this is persecution,” Bhat said. “When judicial systems are used as instruments of repression, detainees become prisoners of politics, not law.” He added that these tactics mirror a larger strategy aimed at crushing Kashmiri political movements through manufactured charges and prolonged incarceration rather than through fair and open political dialogue.
Altaf Ahmed Bhat called upon the international community, human rights organizations, and the United Nations to urgently intervene and hold India accountable for its treatment of Kashmiri leaders. He emphasized that India’s use of fake cases to imprison and silence leaders must be challenged, and that pressure should be applied on New Delhi to uphold United Nations resolutions on Kashmir and initiate the long-delayed process of plebiscite and right to self-determination.
Chairman JKSM condemns fabricated convictions, urges global action on Kashmir rights
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