Kashmiri political prisoners need to be released unconditionally: Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan

An impressive and meaningful meeting of the leadership of all religious, social and political parties of Azad Kashmir took place at Jeddah to discuss the latest situation in Indian occupied Kashmir.

The guest of honor of the event was Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, former Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, the chief guest was Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum, and the event was presided over by Sardar Waqas Inayat, President, Jammu Kashmir Oversees Community, Jeddah.

Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan, who was in town to attend the annual meeting of Muslim World League (MWL), as a member of the Supreme Council of MWL said that the Kashmir dispute was primarily the issue of self-determination which is a basic principle of the United Nations Charter. The applicability of the principle of self-determination to the specific case of Jammu and Kashmir has been explicitly recognized not only by the United Nations but also equally by both India and Pakistan when the Kashmir dispute was brought before the Security Council in 1948.

The Kashmir issue, Sardar Attique added involves the life and future of the 23 million people of the State of Jammu & Kashmir that existed on August 13, 1947. Because of its impact on relations between India and Pakistan, however, it directly affects the peace and stability of the South-Asian subcontinent. The denial of this right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir has brought India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear catastrophe.

Sardar Attique explained that all international conflicts ultimately were resolved on the negotiating table. If that is true, then the world powers should become deeply engaged in order to make sure that the peace process between India and Pakistan once initiated does not get derailed.  “His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman can also play a bridge building to bring parties together so that the animosity is done away with, and the dawn of dialogue and engagement is sustained,” Sardar Attique highlighted.

Sardar Attique reiterated that it must be the first and foremost objective of our strategy to seek the immediate release of Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Masarat Aalam, Aasia Andrabi, Khurram Parvez and others. There are no laws and there is no due process for political and human rights victims and prisoners in Kashmir.

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai said that Kashmir conflict is not about Modi’s so-called development or jobs or even money; it’s about freedom and respect for the sovereign right of a people to choose their own way of life, their own leaders, and their own politics without interference from outsiders. The people of Jammu & Kashmir, irrespective of their religious background and cultural affiliations, were given the right by the United Nations to decide the future status of Kashmir. That is a principle that was agreed by both India and Pakistan and endorsed by the world community.  Perhaps India may pretend that it can preempt that option unilaterally, but the people of Kashmir have not forgotten it at all.

Fai warned that cost of inaction by the international community is enormous – for the global community, for the region of South Asia and especially for the people of Kashmir. If the global initiative is taken, it will not only end the bloodshed and suffering in Kashmir, but also will have a direct positive effect on international security by eliminating regional fighting and risk of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. It is in everyone’s interests to settle the Kashmir dispute peacefully without further delay.

Dr. Fai cautioned that gimmickry and maneuvers, no matter by whom encouraged and approved, cannot be a response to a demand for which tens of thousands have shed their blood in Kashmir. To ignore this principle is to plan for failure, he added.

Mr. Farooq Rehmani, former Convener, All Parties Hurriyat Conference said that the repression of Kashmir’s soul has not diminished the pain or the need for India to meet those face to face who have had nothing but a boot to the belly and a cane to the back.  The voice of Kashmir not only remains as vibrant and shrill as in the very beginning, it is yet even stronger. It is time that India showed some honesty and forthrightness in its dealings with Kashmir.

Farooq Rehmani added that it’s time to end the violence.  It’s time to end the charade.  It’s time for world community to intervene and let Kashmiris sort out their own affairs and determine their own future.

Consul General, Khalid Majeed Sahib said that our brothers and sisters in Occupied Kashmir have suffered for over seven decades. They look towards us to raise their voice against the oppression at the international forums. It is our moral, legal and religious duty to come forward and be the voice of the people who feel muzzled by the draconian laws which have given total immunity to over 900,000 Indian occupation forces in Kashmir. The whole nation of Pakistan is standing with the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir and will keep exposing the atrocities and brutalities of PM Narender Modi at all international forums.

Mr. Khalid Majeed warned that since august 5, 2019 India is pursuing the policy to alter the demographics of the territory. Hundreds of thousand Hindus and army personnel have been provided domicile certificates and allotted land that has been grabbed from local Muslim population.

Mr. Masud Ahmed Puri, Chairman, Kashmir Committee, Jeddah said the sovereignty and right to self-determination is being ignored. But the people of Kashmir will not rest unless they achieve their ultimate objective which is freedom from Indian occupation. The leadership of various political parties in Azad Kashmir has played a role for decades in internationalizing the issue of Kashmir. The people of Azad Kashmir will never let the sacrifices of the people of Kashmir go in vain, Mr. Puri added.

Sardar Waqas Inayat, President JKCO and the host of the event said that the leadership of the Kashmiri political resistance movement and human right activists in occupied Kashmir are incarcerated on frivolous charges and lodged in notorious prisons under sub-human conditions. The goal is to convert Indian Occupied Kashmir into a Hindu majority state with a long turn plan to achieve favorable outcome in case plebiscite is held in the future.  Sardar Waqas expressed his dissatisfaction about the apathy and passivity of the world powers towards the longest issue that is pending on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council – Kashmir.

Sardar Muhammad Ashfaq, Vice Chairman, JKCO and Emcee of the event said that to the horrors of repression for which the people of Kashmir suffer are added two other circumstances, each cruelly adverse. One is the apathy of the world at large, including governments and organizations that otherwise are justly proud of their championship of democracy and human rights. The second is the fog of myths and evasive arguments currently surrounding India’s wrongful occupation of Kashmir. Sardar Ashfaq urged the people of the world to stand up and speak up for the freedom of Kashmir.

Others who spoke included: Engineer Arif Mughal, senior vice chairman, JKCO; Choudhary Khurshid Ahmed, former Chairman, JKCO; Raja Shamroz, Additional Secretary General, JKCO.

The event concluded with the du’a for the martyrs of Kashmir and Gaza.