SRINAGAR  -  Senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has reiterated to continue his struggle for finding a peaceful resolution to the long-standing Kashmir dispute.

According to Kashmir Media Service, in a media interview, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq lamented that despite over seven decades since the dispute over Kashmir began, a final settlement still remains elusive. He emphasized the importance of respecting the aspirations and will of the Kashmiri people and reaffirmed the Hurriyat’s dedication to peaceful methods of dialogue and cooperation to achieve a resolution. He said, “The Hurriyat, formed in 1993, was a political initiative for supporting a political resolution of this long-standing issue on the democratic principle of respect for the aspirations and will of the people of J&K”. “The Hurriyat’s political endeavour remains favouring peaceful methods of dialogue and cooperation between the parties as means to a resolution”, he added.

He criticized India’s illegal actions of August 5, 2019 as having further complicated the issue and disempowered the people of IIOJK. He said, “The government of India made drastic unilateral changes and complicated the dynamics of the Kashmir issue in 2019. The alterations have further disempowered people”.  Referring to the events of post-1947, the Mirwaiz said, “The new neighbours (India and Pakistan) took the Kashmir problem to international fora, fought war three to four times and signed bilateral agreements. However, a final settlement still eludes us”. He also criticized India’s attempt to project the ongoing parliamentary elections in IIOJK as a representation of the people’s will in the larger context of the Kashmir conflict.

Whereas, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has paid glowing tributes to senior Hurriyat leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, on the eve of his third martyrdom anniversary in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.  According to Kashmir Media Service, senior APHC leader and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir Chairman, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai who challenged India’s illegal occupation and political injustice in IIOJK for decades died in Indian captivity on May 05, 2021. The statements said the best way to pay tribute to the iconic leader is to follow his teachings and fulfill his mission.  The APHC leaders said Ashraf Sehrai and other martyrs will continue to live in the Kashmiris’ hearts for his sacrifices for the freedom cause.