SRINAGAR: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has expressed support for renewed diplomatic efforts between Pakistan and India and welcomed growing interest from the United States in helping resolve the decades-old Kashmir conflict.
In a statement from Srinagar, APHC spokesperson Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas thanked the US for encouraging an atmosphere suitable for peace talks. He said American engagement—especially during President Donald Trump’s tenure—could be crucial in resolving tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“The US can play a pivotal role in creating space for meaningful dialogue,” Minhas said. He emphasized that any negotiations must include authentic Kashmiri voices, especially leaders who are currently imprisoned across India and Indian-administered Kashmir.
The APHC underlined past calls by the US State Department for India to engage with Kashmiri political representatives and to hold democratic elections in the region. It also recalled President Trump’s repeated offers to mediate the dispute.
Expressing a willingness to join any serious peace effort, the Hurriyat said the time is right for Washington to step up its involvement in South Asia. “Peace in the region depends on a just solution to the Kashmir issue,” the statement said.
The group also urged the Indian government to shift from what it described as rigid and authoritarian policies to a more open, sincere approach to dialogue. It called for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including APHC Chairman Masarrat Aalam Butt, who is detained far from home in Indian prisons.
Condemning ongoing raids and the harassment of families in Srinagar and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir, the APHC said such actions are part of a wider campaign of suppression. It appealed to the United Nations to send observers to assess the deteriorating human rights situation.
The statement concluded with a message of solidarity for people on both sides of the Line of Control, declaring that Kashmiris continue to bear the brunt of a conflict left unresolved for far too long.