Kashmir - The Way Forward

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Azad Jammu and Kashmir vs. Indian Occupied Kashmir: The difference - Global Village Space In view of the emerging situation, a comparison of various areas of governance and people’s aspirations between Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Indian Occupied Kashmir

RICH TRIBUTES PAID TO KASHMIRI MARTYRS AT TORONTO MEET

Toronto, July 16 (KMS): Hundreds of Canadians from all walks of life paid rich tributes to the struggle of the long-oppressed Kashmiri people at a conference in Toronto on July 15.

According to Kashmir Media Service, organized by the Friends of Kashmir Committee Canada, the conference paid tribute to Burhan Wani on the first anniversary of his martyrdom. The conference also recalled the first uprising of the Kashmiri people on July 13, 1931 against Dogra raj.

The wide array of speakers from different walks of Canadian life included Sid LaCombe of the Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA), Canadian broadcaster Phil Taylor of the Taylor Report, Dr Ali Mallah, former vice president of the Canadian Arab Federation, Ken Stone, a former academic and member of the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, and Lord Nazir Ahmed from England.

Mr. LaCombe pledged to put the Kashmir issue at the centre of Canadian politics.

At its annual convention three years ago, the CPA had passed a unanimous resolution in support of the people of Kashmir. The CPA is an umbrella organization of more than 600 organizations across Canada.

In welcoming the guests, ICIT Director Zafar Bangash and founding member of the Friends of Kashmir Committee highlighted the legal, political and moral right of the Kashmiris to self-determination. He also announced that two scholarships had been established for students to do research in Kashmir studies towards their PhD program at any reputable university in Pakistan.

In paying tribute to Burhan Wani, the young Kashmiri freedom fighter who achieved martyrdom exactly a year ago on July 8, one of the scholarships will be named in his honour.

Ken Stone narrated his experiences of a visit to Muzaffarabad last January after attending the Young Parliamentarians conference on Kashmir in Islamabad. He warned of a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan and the catastrophic consequences of such an exchange for the whole world.

Both Dr Ali Mallah and Journalist Phil Taylor touched on the legal and moral aspects of the Kashmiris’ struggle. While Dr. Mallah criticized Western governments for their double standards over the issue of Kashmir, selling billions of dollars worth of weapons to India, Mr. Taylor spoke about the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination enshrined in the International Convention on Social and Human Rights as well as dozens of UN Security Council resolutions.

Lord Nazir Ahmed, an eloquent speaker and passionate advocate of the Kashmiri cause touched on the growing threat of fascism in India with the election of Narendra Modi as prime minister.

He condemned the ongoing Indian military violence against defenceless Kashmiri civilians of whom almost 100,000 have been killed since 1989. The occupation forces have also r***d more than 11,000 women.

Since the intensification of the Kashmiris’ struggle following last year’s martyrdom of young Burhan Wani at least 154 more Kashmiris, mostly youth have been killed and at least 10,000 injured, many of them sustaining pellet wounds blinding them.

Lord Ahmed also called upon both the governments of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan to be much more pro-active in their support of the Kashmiris’ struggle for the right to self-determination.

Mr Tariq Azim Khan, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Canada, also spoke at the conference highlighting the suffering of the Kashmiri people.

Before the conference ended, Zafar Bangash presented a resolution on Kashmir that won unanimous approval.

The Conference also pledged to remain ceased of the issue and to continue to highlight the plight of the Kashmiri people at all forums until they achieve their right of self-determination.

Following the conference in Toronto, Lord Ahmed is scheduled to speak at another program organized by the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War and the Hamilton Labour and Human Rights Council. The July 16 program will be held in Hamilton, an industrial city 70 km west of Toronto. KMS—6K

TEXT OF RESOLUTION ADOPTED AT KASHMIR CONFERENCE IN CANADA

Toronto, July 16 (KMS): Participants at the Kashmir Solidarity Conference, which was held in Toronto on Saturday, adopted the following resolution:

- Noting the ongoing grave human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir, in particular, since the latest round of killings and brutalities that began on July 8, 2016 in the aftermath of the extra-judicial ex*****on of a young Kashmiri freedom fighter, Burhan Wani;

- Noting the Indian defiance to the calls by UN Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, OIC and elected representatives in the UK, Europe and Australia for an independent investigation into HR violations in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK);

- Condemning use of pellet guns by the Indian occupation forces to willfully blind a whole generation of Kashmiris, mostly youth, in thousands;

- Recalling UN Security Council Resolutions on Kashmir [Res. 38, 39, 47, 51 (1948); 80 (1950); 91, 96 (1951); 98 (1952); 122,123, 126 ( 1957); UNCIP Res. (13 Aug 48, 5 Jan.49) that, inter alia, promised Kashmiris their right to self-determination;

- Underscoring that the UN has a responsibility towards stopping the Kashmiris’ systematic genocide by Indian occupation forces;

- Noting with deep concern India’s approach to systematically change the demography in IoK to convert Muslim majority Kashmiris into a minority;

- Expressing deep concern on the arbitrary arrest of over 10,000 Kashmiris with their fate unknown;

- Recalling the massacres committed in IoK by Indian occupation forces between 1990 and 2017;

- Taking note of the findings of International People Tribunal’s Report, entitled; ‘Buried Evidence in the wake of discovery of unnamed and unmarked mass graves in IoK’;

- Noting India’s blatant violation of UNSC Resolutions on Kashmir, the UN Charter and International Humanitarian Laws;

- Recalling the offer of the United Nations Secretary General to help resolve the long-festering problem of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue,

- Reminding India of the repeated pledges made at the highest level to allow them to decide their future through a plebiscite, in particular, the statements by Prime Minister Nehru in October 1947 and 1951, in which he stated that “We (India) have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by the people. That pledge we have given... not only to the people of Kashmir but to the world. We will not and cannot back out of it. We are prepared when peace and order have been established to have a referendum held under the auspices of the UN.”

- Expressing concern at the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India on the Line of Control and the killing of Kashmiri civilians;

1: Whereas the human rights situation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir under Indian occupation continues to deteriorate;

2: Whereas egregious crimes are being perpetrated against defenceless civilians, particularly women, more than 10,000 of whom have been gang r***d;

3: Whereas no Indian civilians or security personnel have been arrested, much less prosecuted for such crimes;

4: Whereas the culture of impunity has continued as per the December 6, 2012 report of the IPTK and APDP;

5: Whereas India maintains an occupation force of more than 700,000 troops in Jammu and Kashmir and hundreds of thousands of other armed constabulary and police;

6: Whereas enormous resources are expended on the acquisition of weapons including nuclear weapons thereby threatening the security of the entire region;

7: Aware that such resources could be better utilized for the upliftment of their respective populations in India and Pakistan;

The Participants of this Solidarity Conference on Kashmir, therefore,

1: Call on India to cease forthwith all human rights violations against and stop the bloodshed of the people of Jammu and Kashmir;

2: Call on the government of India to allow UN / Independent investigations into the human rights situation, to establish responsibility and determine appropriate punishment for the perpetrators of such crimes that are against International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law;

3: Call on India to withdraw all its troops including Armed Constabulary from Jammu and Kashmir, particularly from cities, towns and villages to enable resumption of normal life and create enabling environment for the plebiscite to be held under the auspices of the UN as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions on Kashmir;

4: Call on the United Nations to assume its responsibility of organizing the plebiscite under its supervision;

5: Call on the OIC Secretary General to compile a report on human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir and urge constant monitoring of the human rights situation by the IPHRC;

6: Urge UN and other relevant international forums to investigate all massacres, gang-rapes, fake-encounters, forced disappearances, wilful blinding using pellet guns, etc. committed by the Indian forces and Hindu terrorist organizations RSS, etc. and bring the perpetrators to justice;

7: Request all national governments, especially the Government of Canada to exert pressure on India to ensure its compliance with international obligations flowing from Humanitarian and Human Rights Law as well as UNSC resolutions;

8: Request the international media to fulfill its obligations by highlighting the continued suffering of the people of Jammu and Kashmir;

9: Call on all concerned individuals to remain engaged with the tragic situation;

10: Request all international organizations including the OIC, EU etc. to play a meaningful and effective role in the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Further, that these organizations formally approach India to allow access for international organizations to Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

11: Resolve to remain engaged with the situation and continue to highlight the plight of the Kashmiri people at all possible forums. KMS

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