Speakers at YFK discussion ask world to resolve Kashmir issue

Islamabad : The speakers at the discussion held by the International Kashmir Lobby Group (Youth Forum for Kashmir-YFK) on the occasion of right of self-determination day have articulated that Kashmir is at the heart of a possible nuclear confrontation between Pakistan and India.

It is obligatory on the peace loving nations across the globe to come forward to resolve the conflict peacefully. They said that Kashmiris do not seek compensation for the wealth they have lost; they do not demand financial aid to help them better their lives. All they ask for is to let them choose who they want to be, let them choose their identity. The people as resilient as Kashmiris just want their Right to Self-Determination.

The YFK engaged youth in a public awareness activity on the occasion of 69th anniversary of the UN Resolution--05 January, 1949: Kashmir Right to Self-Determination Day, here at the Mall on Friday. The YFK activists set up a special Kashmir selfie stand and a stall. The Kashmir activists spent the whole day for the cause of highlighting the issue. They distributed copies of the UN Resolutions on Kashmir and asked the people to write to Pakistani and international media, record video messages who in return applied for membership as activists for Kashmir.

The speakers reminded that it was on 5th January in 1949 when the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution supporting the right of Kashmiris’ to decide their future by themselves, through a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN Administrator.

Celebrity singer Raja Rapstar entertained the crowd with songs on freedom. Famous political and media personalities arrived to mingle with fans and spoke for Kashmir.

Speakers included Murad Saeed, Member National Assembly; Mushaal Hussein Mullick--Wife of Senior Hurriyat Leader Yaseen Malik, Sami Ibraheem, Abid Abbasi of the NPC, Rawalpindi, Ahmed Quraishi-Executive Director YFK and others.

Murad Saeed said that UN have failed to give the basic rights of Kashmiris, it’s our duty to remind UN and our government to keep pushing this cause internationally. He criticised the decision of government to allow Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother and wife to meet him, while Mushaal Hussein Mullick is not allowed by India to go to Indian-occupied Kashmir to meet her husband. She appreciated YFK’s struggle for the just cause of Kashmir and said that she is not here to discuss personal life’s issues but Kashmir.

She said that we must focus on Kashmir and keep highlighting the cause in every available platform for the fundamental rights of innocent Kashmiris. She appreciated YFK for its unique style to highlight Kashmir conflict. Other speakers also highlighted the importance of this day and vowed their full support for the Kashmir cause.

The YFK, through a resolution, insisted that India’s military occupation of Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) be ended immediately. It called on New Delhi to meet international standards of justice and fair play by withdrawing the occupation army from Srinagar and all other Kashmiri cities. The YFK demanded that India should allow Kashmiris to take charge of their government as a first step towards resolving the international dispute in accordance with UNSC Resolutions. It appealed to the European Parliament, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, OSCE, Asean, Saarc, the Arab League, and the OIC to recognise the right of Kashmiri people to self-determination, and view it as the unfinished agenda of the freedom movement that led to the independence of both Pakistan and Indian in 1947 through a democratic and legal struggle where people voted to join either Pakistan or India after the departure of British forces from the region.

India sought UN help in 1948, culminating in the Security Council Resolution of January 5, 1949. The group reminded the world of the democratic nature of this Resolution. The first clause reads: “The question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite.” It urged the UNSC to seize itself of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Kashmir, where India’s military occupation authorities have been found involved in arbitrary and extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, denial of basic civil liberties, and the use of rape as a weapon of war. We urge that the world body should play its key role in resolving the Kashmir dispute for perpetual peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia.