*Today's top stories from KMS* *February 27, 2025* 1. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the biggest obstacle to peaceful relations between Pakistan and India, as well as to the overall stability and development of South Asia. 2. APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, while addressing a group of youth in Srinagar, emphasized that lasting peace and economic growth in the region cannot be achieved without addressing the Kashmir dispute. He stressed that the conflict can only be resolved through a tripartite dialogue involving Pakistan, India, and the genuine leadership of Kashmir, in line with United Nations resolutions. He also urged the international community to take notice of gross human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He lamented that perpetrators of extrajudicial killings since 1989 have yet to be held accountable. 3. In a blatant interference in religious matters, Indian authorities denied permission for the funeral prayers of Dr. Sibtain Masoodi, father-in-law of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid. Heavy restrictions were imposed to prevent people from offering the funeral at the mosque. Reacting to the move, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed it "deeply regrettable," stating that such actions expose the hollowness of Indian claims of normalcy in the territory. He warned that denying basic religious rights further erodes public trust and goodwill. 4. The APHC also condemned the restrictions, calling them a direct attack on religious freedoms and yet another example of the oppressive measures imposed on the people of Kashmir. Dr. Sibtain Masoodi passed away in Srinagar last night after a prolonged illness. 5. Indian troops continued massive cordon-and-search operations in the districts of Islamabad, Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban, Kishtwar, and Doda today. 6. A recent study conducted at Soura Medical Complex has revealed that only one in three children diagnosed with tumors in IIOJK survives, mainly due to the region’s inadequate healthcare infrastructure. 7. Widespread outrage has erupted over the large-scale felling of centuries-old Chinar trees—some over 500 years old—in Islamabad district. Political leaders, civil society members and environmentalists have demanded an independent inquiry into what they termed a brutal assault on Kashmir’s ecological and cultural heritage.