Senior APHC leader Altaf Hussain Wani has expressed his grave concern over the plight of Kashmiri prisoners particularly the declining health condition of JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik who is on hunger strike since July 22.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday Wani while referring to Malik’s fragile health said, “Malik has already been suffering from multiple acute ailments’ ‘. The Indian authorities, he said, have been forcing the JKLF chairman to take extreme measures. Urging world human rights organizations to take effective notice of the matter, Wani said that Malik’s life was at grave risk in jail. Highlighting the plight of other Kashmiri prisoners lodged in Tihar jail, the APHC leader said that Hurriyat leaders and activists languishing in the notorious prison have been deprived of their basic rights including the right to proper food, and medical treatment. He said that it was unfortunate that the Kashmiri leaders have been left to rot in prisons without any trial.

Meanwhile, the APHC leader took strong notice of the BJP’s Hag Gar Janda campaign and termed it as an attempt to Indianise Kashmir. The Indianisation of Kashmir, he said had started soon after India’s apartheid regime revoked article 370 of the Indian constitution and stripped the region of its nationhood status.

As part of its campaign to Indianise Kashmir and the Kashmiris, he said, “Modi government has taken several initiatives to erase Kashmiris’ political and cultural history”.

“From renaming of Kashmir’s historical places on Indian Hindutva ideologues to changing political, religious and ideological landscape of Occupied Kashmir and making it mandatory for Kashmiri students at schools and colleges to play Indian national anthem and celebrating International Day of Yoga were amongst some preposterous measures the Modi government had taken to Indianise Kashmir”, Wani said.

Commenting on the forceful hoisting of Indian flags in Kashmir, he said, “Forcing students, shopkeepers, and employees to pay for the so-called national flag, and using state machinery to pursue common Kashmiris to unfurl the Tricolour on the occasion of 75th Independence Day is the worst example of forced nationalism that is utterly unacceptable and uncalled for”.

“Kashmiris consider hoisting of Indian flag as tantamount to betraying martyrs who have laid down their lives while fighting the Indian occupation”, he said adding that hoisting green flags at top houses voluntarily marks Kashmiris’ unconditional love for Pakistan and their innate hatred against India’s forcible occupation.

“The apartheid regime, which continues to thrive on communal politics, fails to recognize  that these repressive measures have always proved counterproductive”, he added.