Pakistani Embassy holds Kashmir solidarity event
Several guests gave lectures on the Kashmir issue at the event that was held one day after the October 27 anniversary because this year the day fell on a Friday, which is a holiday in Muslim countries.
Deputy Head of Mission of the Pakistani Embassy Nasrullah Khan gave an address in which he pointed out that India’s occupation of Kashmir on October 27, 1947 led to an armed conflict between Pakistan and India.
“The Kashmir issue was taken to the United Nations Security Council invested with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. A special commission -- the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan -- was constituted to independently investigate the matter and help the contending parties reach a negotiated settlement. The most important outcome of the deliberations of the Commission were two resolutions passed by the Security Council on 13 August 1948 and 15 January 1949 respectively, calling upon the governments of India and Pakistan to hold a free, fair and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices in order to enable the people of Kashmir to decide whether they wanted to join Pakistan or India,” he added. “This was followed by commitments on the part of the Indian leadership to allow the Kashmiris to determine their destiny. In a statement to the Indian parliament on 12 February 1951, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said, ‘We had given our pledge to the people of Kashmir and subsequently to the United Nations. We stood by it and we stand by it today. Let the people of Kashmir decide.’
“Yet, despite their pledge to the international community and their promise to the people of Kashmir to hold the plebiscite, nearly six decades later, India continues to defy international public opinion and deny Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination -- a right granted to them by the very first article of the Charter of the United Nations, by UN resolutions and by solemn promises of Indian leaders,” he said.
“The non-resolution of the Kashmir dispute has led to several wars between Pakistan and India and to the diversion of billions of dollars into non-productive expenditure in a region which is host to one fourth of the world’s poor. The atmosphere of tensions between Pakistan and India has engendered instability and insecurity in South Asia. The acquisition of nuclear weapons by India and Pakistan has made Kashmir a nuclear flashpoint and further increased the urgency of finding an early resolution to the dispute.
“On the initiative of the President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf to resolve the Kashmir dispute as well as other outstanding problems between Pakistan and India, the governments of the two countries have embarked on a composite dialogue since January 2004. There has been some progress in certain areas, but regrettably the movement on resolving the Kashmir dispute has been slow and India is reluctant to involve the Kashmiris in the negotiations. We need visible progress on the Kashmir issue leading to a permanent solution and durable peace in South Asia. During the recent NAM Summit in Havana, President General Pervez Musharrraf and (Indian) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a positive meeting. Both the leaders agreed that the peace process must be maintained and its success was important for both countries and the future of the entire region. In this context, the foreign secretaries will resume composite dialogue next month.
“It is time that the government of India took serious measures to end its human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir by stopping repression, releasing political prisoners, reducing its forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir, repealing Kashmir-specific draconian laws and permitting genuine political activities. It is high time for India to see the light of reason and logic that a durable and lasting peace in South Asia can only be established by resolving the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” Nasrullah Khan said in conclusion.