Srinagar: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Wednesday reiterated its appeal to immediately release on humanitarian grounds all Kashmiri prisoners logded in various jails, including Hurriyat leaders, activists youth and children in view of the rapid spread of COVID 19 pandemic.
APHC also said that the annual report by the United Nations about children and armed conflict where in the UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over the continued use by the government forces in Jammu and Kashmir of torture and pellet guns against children as well as their illegal detentions, and called on New Delhi to “immediately end” such practices again, highlights the atrocities committed against children as a consequence of the lingering Kashmir conflict.
In a statement issued here, APHC said the report verified the killing of 8 and maiming of 15 children between the ages of 1 and 17, during joint operations of the forces.
“Most of the casualties that occurred in Jammu and Kashmir were mainly caused by torture in detention, shootings, including from pellet guns.”
The report particularly cites 68 instances where children between the ages of 9 and 17 have been detained by government forces in Jammu and Kashmir on national security-related charges. “
The Secretary-General said that he remains concerned by child casualties in Jammu and Kashmir and called upon the Government to take preventive measures to protect children, including by ending the use of pellets against children.
APHC informed the pubic that many local English dailies do not publish Hurriyat statements anymore, “Hurriyat will try to reach public through social media,” read the statement.