Clear announcement of APHC: Disassociation from elections in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir continues

ISLAMABAD (News Desk): An important high-level meeting of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) [Pakistan’s Chapter] was held under the leadership of Convenor Ghulam Muhammad Safi, with active participation from representatives of all affiliated units.

During the meeting, after serious, thoughtful, and in-depth deliberations on the current political situation in the region, the sensitive nature of the Kashmir cause, and various aspects of future strategy, unanimous and principled decisions were made.

According to details issued after the meeting, participants reaffirmed in clear and unambiguous terms their resolve that the Hurriyat Conference will maintain its longstanding principled policy regarding the electoral processes in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It was clarified that the Hurriyat Conference will neither transform itself into a political party nor take part in any election campaign in favor of or against any political or religious party, group, or individual.

This stance is based on the principle that the Kashmir issue is a national, ideological, and internationally recognized matter of the right to self-determination, and subordinating it to temporary political interests or electoral affiliations would be contrary to its fundamental spirit and dignity.

The meeting particularly emphasized that it is the need of the hour to unite the political and religious leadership of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the general public, around the Kashmir cause. In this context, the Hurriyat Conference’s neutral, principled, and balanced role was described as critically important so that it can maintain its credibility, trust, and influence as a collective national voice.

Participants strongly reiterated that the Hurriyat Conference is the custodian of the martyrs of Kashmir and the trustee of their great mission. In this capacity, it bears the fundamental responsibility of making its struggle more effective, organized, and multidimensional to take the unfinished mission of achieving the right to self-determination to its logical conclusion. Continuing this struggle in a principled, peaceful manner in accordance with international laws and diplomatic norms was declared to be its consistent and unwavering strategy.

Furthermore, the meeting reached a consensus that representative teams of the Hurriyat Conference will establish formal and effective contacts with all major political and religious parties in Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The primary objective of these engagements will be to persuade these parties to include the fundamental, key, and principled points of the Jammu and Kashmir issue in their election manifestos, so that the Kashmir cause can be highlighted effectively at the state, political, and public levels.

At the conclusion of the meeting, it was reaffirmed with firm resolve that the Hurriyat Conference will remain committed to its principled, neutral, and clear policy, and will utilize all available political, diplomatic, and public resources to further strengthen, organize, and make its struggle for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people more effective and result-oriented, while continuing efforts to raise this voice effectively before the global conscience at every level.

The meeting was attended by senior Hurriyat leaders including Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, General Secretary Advocate Parvez Ahmed, Altaf Hussain Wani, Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Hasan al-Banna, Javed Jahangir, Nisar Mirza, Syed Ejaz Rehmani, Raja Khadim Hussain, Daud Khan, Chaudhry Shaheen, Zahid Safi, Kifayat Hussain Rizvi, Zahid Ashraf, Haji Muhammad Sultan, Muhammad Shafi Dar, Imtiaz Wani, Mian Muzaffar, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Syed Gulshan, Manzoor Ahmed Dar, Sheikh Abdul Majid, Zahid Mujtaba, Nazeer Karnahi, and Information Secretary Mushtaq Ahmed Butt.