Kashmiri Diaspora demands International conference on Kashmir issue

London, March 11 (Report Razia Sultana):  Chairman All Parties Parliamentary Group on Kashmir Lord Nazir Ahmed has demanded of Britain and the International community to convene international conference on Kashmir.

Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hassan said that the issue is pending for resolution for many decades which should be solved in accordance with he UN resolutions and the Kshmiris should be given right of self determination. He appreciated the efforts of Lord Nazir Ahmed for reactivating the group and hoped the issue would again become focus of international attention. He said the Pakistan government wanted peaceful settlement of the issue and inclusion of Kashmiris in the talks as it considered the Kashmiris as the real stakeholder in the issue.

Group Secretary Paul Rowen MP said he wanted to activate the group and incorporate the view points of more people.  Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, David Lidington MP said it is necessary to resolve the issue as early as possible in the interest of India, Pakistan as well as the World peace. He called for an end to violation of human rights and ensuring equal treatment of people from all religions in the occupied Kashmir. He said the British government could not dictate the people of South Asia about the political future. However, he expected that the India and Pakistan would soon start negotiations in the backdrop of their mutual problems.

Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Foreign Office, Mark Hendrick avoiding a clear reply on convening conference on Kashmir issue by Foreign Office expressed the hope of early holding of talks between India and Pakistan. He said instead of an external solution to the problem, Kashmiris should have the right to decide about their future.

Group Vice Chairman Lord Eric Avebury and Treasurer Marsha Singh MP stressed that the right of self determination could not be suppressed by force. He called for allowing Amnesty and other Human Rights organization to enter into the held valley. If India wanted to become member of the Security Council, it should give serious thought to human rights issues and right of self determination.

Muhammad Sarwar MP said that hundreds of thousands of people had sacrificed their lives due to this issue and the cases of human rights violation had not come to and end. He demanded of the United States and European Union to appoint special envoy on Kashmir dispute while John Hemming MP said the media should be allowed to enter held Kashmir and human rights violation stopped for early peaceful resolution of the issue. MPs Stephen Timms, Humfrey Malins, Baroness Knight of Collingtree and others also addressed the reception.

Addressing a reception held here the other day in the Parliament, he further demanded to ensure participation of all stakeholders and appointment of special envoy on the issue. He said the proposed conference would make some headway in the peaceful resolution of the issue. He pointed out that the Foreign and Commonwealth office has hosted conferences on Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and now is the time that Foreign Office should arrange an international conference on Kashmir issue.

He said the group has been struggling for the last many years  to win right of self determination for the Kashmiris and as its Chairman he wanted to move the group in a new fashion under which he would try to bring the community, all political leaders and other organizations to know their point of view. He declared that he wanted to press the British government through the group to lay stress on Indian and Pakistani governments to include Kashmiris in negotiations aimed at resolving the issue.

Lord Ahmed also demanded of the international community to raise the issues of human rights violations, mass graves, and missing persons in the held valley and release of innocent Kashmiris and political leaders from Indian jails. He said that it is the first reception by the Parliamentary group on Kashmir and it would hold four receptions per year in which the parliamentarian would meet with the members of the Kashmiri community and present their point of view.

Later, Lord Nazir talking to The Asians said that unfortunately there were some weaknesses in the community and the government due to which the issue has not been resolved as yet. Replying to a question, he said the people worked less and criticised more and did not raise the issue with their local MPs. Replying to another question, he said ’the government’s point of view on the issue is very weak, however instead of resorting to criticism, we have to bring the issue to the fore by ourselves’. In the past a few members of the group come here for photo session but today more than 12 MPs, Lords and Baronesses were present at the reception.

Executive Director Kashmir Centre, Professor Nazir A. Shawl said the Labour government did not fulfill its elections promises made in 1995. “We would appeal to the Kashmiri community to vote those friends who had made real efforts on the issue.”  He also stressed the need for adopting common approach by the government and the group to make headway on the issue.

President, All Parties Kashmir Coordination Committee, Dr Misfar Hassan said the Kashmiris had been hearing only speeches for the last many years. Since elections are near, the MPs have recalled the Kashmir issue for there are four to five hundred thousand Kashmiri voters. There were 60 to 70 members when the group was formed while today only 6 or 7 of them could be seen. This shows the performance of the group. However, it is to be hoped that the issue would make headway in presence of Lord Nazir Ahmed.

Muhammad Ghalib said the Kashmiris’ message could not be forwarded as yet to the Foreign Office through front benches. But as Lord Nazir Ahmed, himself a Kashmiri, has become its Chairman, great expectations are attached to him. He said European Union adopted resolution on human rights violations and mass graves but no one raised the issue in the British Parliament. ‘Pakistan is asked to do more while nuclear agreements are being signed with India’. He noted that many faces could be seen owing to the forthcoming election but despite getting votes the Kashmir situation saw little change.

The reception was attended by Deputy High Commissioner Asif Durrani, Baroness Uddin, Martin Salter MP, Dr. Brian Iddon MP and Kashmiri leaders in large number who, had come from other cities as well.