ISLAMABAD:Advocate Arshad Iqbal, Spokesperson for the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), has strongly condemned the continued wave of arrests of Kashmiri youth by Indian authorities in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He urged India to come to its senses and abandon its policy of suppressing the Kashmiri people's struggle for the right to self-determination through force, oppression, and arbitrary arrests.

He said that the Kashmir dispute is an internationally recognised dispute whose just and lasting settlement must be pursued through meaningful dialogue involving Pakistan, India, and the Kashmiri people. Sustainable peace in the region cannot be achieved by ignoring relevant United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Advocate Arshad Iqbal observed that despite the presence of approximately one million Indian troops and decades of pressure, restrictions, and repression over the past 78-79 years, the Kashmiri people have not abandoned their struggle. History has demonstrated that the excessive use of force cannot extinguish a people's legitimate political rights or their aspirations for freedom. The Kashmiri people will continue their struggle until their right to self-determination is realised.

The party spokesperson also strongly condemned the alleged discriminatory, unjust, and oppressive conduct of Indian officers posted to Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from other Indian states. He said that complaints regarding discriminatory treatment, harassment, and the alleged abuse of authority against Kashmiri officials and ordinary citizens must be taken seriously. No official should be permitted to act above the law or violate the fundamental rights of the people.

Advocate Arshad Iqbal urged the so-called authorities in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to stop remaining silent spectators and take practical measures to protect the lives, property, dignity, and fundamental rights of the people. He called upon them to play an effective role in preventing arbitrary arrests of young people and other alleged human rights violations.

He also appealed to the international community and human rights organisations to take serious notice of the situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and urge India to respect the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people and take meaningful steps towards a just, peaceful, and lasting settlement of the Kashmir dispute.