Srinagar, Feb 05: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Saturday said that its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq completed two and half years of house detention today.

Mirwaiz was put under house arrest on 5th August 2019.

APHC in a statement strongly condemned the “forcible and arbitrary house detention of its chairman by the authorities, whereby all his human rights stand completely violated.”

“Advocating peaceful resolution of the globally acknowledged Kashmir issue as per the will of its people,-for which APHC came into existence, is no crime. Both India and Pakistan reiterate that the conflict has to be resolved and it’s tragic that it is being lingering.”

APHC said that resolution of the issue is also a guarantee of peace in this highly volatile region where mistrust between the two neighbours works to the advantage of power players. It can ignite a nuclear conflict any time, it said, adding that “We will continue to strive for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.”

It also strongly rejected and regretted the policy of use of force and intimidation by the authorities to silence voices that report facts and are critical of those in power by clubbing them as “anti national “.

Referring to the arrest of journalist Fahad Shah, APHC asked the authorities to reconsider this authoritarian approach and release Fahad and all other journalists languishing in jails for doing their duty.

APHC asked the Government of India to release Mirwaiz and all other political leaders, activists and youth from house detention and jails, without delay and unconditionally and initiate the process of peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict.

APHC said that as in the past will give all out support to every such sincere initiative. kno