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| London conference asserts Kashmiris’ right to self-determination | | | Islamabad | Nov 30
In London, it was asserted in the two-day conference on Kashmir that right to self-determination is an inalienable and non-negotiable right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and there should be complete demilitarisation of entire state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The assertion was made in a seven-point resolution unanimously passed at the end of the conference titled Sixty Years of The Kashmir Dispute- A Way Forward concluded on Thursday night in the House of Commons. It was organised by the Kashmir Centre London, KMS reported.
The resolution demanded setting up of an international commission to look into human rights violations. It underlined the need to declare the state of Jammu and Kashmir as non-nuclear zone.
The resolution said, all political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir should be allowed to travel abroad freely and travel documents should be issued in favour of all leaders, political activists, academicians, human rights workers and professionals who have not this facility so far.
Kashmiri expatriates living in different parts of the world, the resolution added, should be allowed to visit their homeland for furthering amicable and peaceful resolution of Kashmir problem. It maintained that the dialogue on Kashmir should be all-inclusive.
The resolution stressed the need to release all political prisoners languishing in different jails and interrogation centers in the state and in different parts of India. Cases instituted against various political leaders of Kashmir should be withdrawn and the draconian laws in vogue in the state should be repealed.
Earlier, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressing the conference said that no solution to the Kashmir dispute within Indian constitution was acceptable to the people of Kashmir.
He said Pakistan has shown magnanimity and flexibility and so has the Kashmiri leadership. He said the peace process between India and Pakistan has entered the fourth year but there has been no perceptible progress on Kashmir. President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Raja Zulqarnain Khan, while appreciating India-Pakistan dialogue process urged the inclusion of Kashmiris in the talks process.
The AJK Prime Minister Sardar Atique Ahmad Khan said there was a need for a forward vision. He said South Asian region was clouded in danger because of the unresolved issue of Kashmir.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan High Commissioner to UK stated that the Line of Control was part of problem not a part of solution, adding that President Musharraf travelled extra mile, demonstrated flexibility while India is yet to reciprocate. Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Executive Director Kashmir American Centre, Washington said the denial of the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir by India has made the lives of Kashmiri people miserable.
Omar Abdullah, President National Conference, in his speech pointed out that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission should be constituted to reveal real facts of the present situation in Kashmir.
Senator Mushahid Hussein Syed said Pakistan has shown commitment, vision and resolve for the just and amicable solution of the Kashmir dispute. He highlighted President Pervez Musharraf’s out of the box initiatives offered to India on Kashmir but lamented that India was not prepared to respond to Pakistan’s pragmatic offers on Kashmir.
APHC leader Nayeem Ahmed Khan said the UN has successfully intervened in some conflict zones and done a commendable job but its intervention in lingering Kashmir dispute is awaited.
A Kashmiri writer Zahid G Muhammad urged the international community to facilitate the two countries to find out a solution of the Kashmir problem based on justice and fair play in tune with the UN charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Researcher Manisha Sobhrajani emphasized that the people of Kashmir needed to be made part of any dialogue and needed to be consulted on any decision about their future.
Former European Parliament member from Ireland John Cushnahan suggested that the three parties to the Kashmir dispute - India, Pakistan and people of Kashmir - could take the Northern Ireland peace process as a basis for dialogue.
British MPs Paul Goodman, Paul Rowan and David Anderson said there was a consensus among the British Parliamentarians to resolve this issue, which can no longer be ignored. The Secretary of All Parties Parliamentary Group, Martin Salter stated that Kashmir was the longest outstanding issue, which needed to be resolved.
The Executive Directors of Kashmir Centers in London and Brussels, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl, Barrister Abdul Majid Tramboo and Kashmiri Leaders Farooq Siddique, Advocate Nazir Ahmed Ronga, Prof. Muhammad Ashraf Saraf, Sardar Ali Shahnawaz Khan, Prof. Edgar Garcia, Mike Pennning, Brendan Macalister and Dr. Zulfikar also spoke on the various dimensions of the Kashmir dispute. |
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