PARLIAMENTARY SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON KASHMIR
AN INTERACTION WITH DIPLOMATIC CORPS
MARRIOTT HOTEL ISLAMABAD
(FEBRUARY 3, 2011)
ADDRESS BY
MAULANA FAZL UR RAHMAN
(MEMBER NATIONAL ASSEMBLY)
CHAIRMAN
KASHMIR COMMITTEE
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my privilege to address this august gathering of distinguished Ambassadors and High Commissioners on the occasion of the Kashmir Solidarity Day. I do so as Chairman, Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, which has representation of all major parliamentary parties and in the expectation that you transmit our message to your capitals.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
The significance of Solidarity Day, observed by the Pakistanis on February 5 every year, is special. It reaffirms the profound commitment of the people of Pakistan to provide moral, political and diplomatic support to the oppressed people of the Indian Occupied Kashmir. This year, the Solidarity Day is of special significance, because the democratically elected Parliamentary Committee invites you, the world’s collective conscience gathered here to join us in requesting the UN for the implementation of the UN Security Council Plebiscite Resolutions. This is a simple enough request because the Kashmir issue is the issue of self-determination, guaranteed under successive UN Resolutions. Besides, the right of self-determination is a basic principle of the UN Charter, which has been reaffirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for settlement of international conflicts. Though more than six decades ago the international community pledged the right of the people of Jammu & Kashmir to determine freely their own destiny, regrettably, this fundamental right continues to be elusive.
Excellencies,
Regrettably, since 1947 the norms of justice, standards of international law and inalienable civil rights in the Indian Occupied Kashmir have been violated with impunity. Today, it is the most militarized place on earth with over seven hundred thousands Indian security forces. Under the cover of the Jammu & Kashmir specific draconian laws, such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, Public Safety Act, etc, the Indian security forces continue to commit grave human rights violations. Access to the Occupied Kashmir by the international media, NGOs, and human rights organizations also continues to be severely restricted. Torture, abuses, harassment, rape and murder of innocent civilians continue to pervade the occupied territory. The gruesome unearthing of 4600 unidentified mass graves in Kashmir by Prof. Angana Chatterjee of the Indian origin has further unmasked the gravity of the situation in the occupied territory. And yet, all this and more remains off the international radar screen, due to the Indian government having made it, as the European Union report calls, “the most beautiful prison in the world”. On behalf of the Kashmir Committee, I appeal to the comity of nations to join us and say ‘no’ to violence and join us in calling upon the UN to use its good offices in getting India to (i) stop human rights violations, (ii) withdraw draconian laws, so that the Kashmiris could have access to the rule of law and exercise their human rights, (iii) release political prisoners and close interrogation camps, (iv) allow free access to the international media and human rights organizations, (v) enable the International Committee of Red Cross and other international organizations to search for thousands of missing persons, (vi) put on trial the perpetrators of human rights violations (vii) allow the Kashmiri leadership to travel abroad (viii) permit the right of peaceful association & assembly.
Excellencies
The recent wave of protests in Indian Occupied Kashmir began after the unprovoked killing of a seventeen year old student on 11 June 2010. Since then, over 110 Kashmiris, including women and children, have been killed. One US weekly declared 2010 as “the year of killing youth” in the Occupied Kashmir. The youth represent the third generation of resistance and seek nothing but ‘freedom’ from India. Pakistan’s Parliament which has adopted a number of resolutions in support of the Kashmiris’ struggle, specifically the non-violent, indigenous movement, invites parliamentarians from the countries represented here to visit Kashmir and see matters first hand, so that they can put their weight behind a lasting & durable solution of this devastated disputed territory.
Excellencies
For the Kashmir Committee there are no two opinions that the Kashmir Dispute is the core issue in Pakistan-India relations and holds the key to peace between the two countries. Our belief is that status quo is no longer an option. The complicity of the Indian security forces in gross human rights violations has reached breaking point. We invite you in the name of peace to join us in ensuring that Kashmiri leadership is a partner in all negotiations and the UN Resolutions, which constitute a binding international agreement of the Kashmir Dispute, are implemented.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Being stationed in Islamabad we believe you share our assessment that the Kashmir Conflict poses a geo-political threat because the road to peace in the region passes through Kashmir.
In conclusion, we request you to please help in breaking the silence of the world community on Kashmir. I greatly appreciate your presence here and hope that, Your Excellencies, would convey our message to your capitals so that there is an end to the suffering of the people of occupied Kashmir.
Thank you.
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