UK MPs speak for empowerment of Kashmiri voices

LONDON: Parliamentarians from three leading parties in Britain have called for the empowerment of Kashmiri voices in India-Pakistan dialogue process to resolve the long standing Kashmir conflict according to the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
At an event held in the House of Commons here by the Kashmir Development Foundation, the parliamentarians said Kashmiris deserve justice and the silence of the world powers on the issue of Kashmir amounted to criminal negligence.
Mike Gapes MP, member Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Sir Gerald Kaufman MP, Clive Betts MP, Chairman Communities and Local Government Select Committee, Steve Baker MP, David Ward MP and Jason McCartney MP called on the Indian and Pakistani governments to include Kashmiris in the dialogue process.
The reception was hosted by Simon Danczuk MP who welcomed the support from MPs for Kashmiris and emphasised the need for recognition and inclusion of Kashmiri cultural heritage and national identity in ethnic monitoring systems in the UK.
Sardar Aftab Khan, Executive Director of Kashmir Development Foundation, who organised the event, said that Kashmir society is intrinsically an open society and Kashmiris took pride in their centuries-old ethos of multi-ethnic, multi-religious co-existence but this openness has suffered due to the unresolved Kashmir issue.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir are striving for a peaceful society – a society where people have right to life, liberty and security,” he said. Mike Gapes MP said though both India and Pakistan have made some progress, domestic politics within India and Pakistan will influence the decisions made by governments. “It’s a very different context now as elections are coming up and it looks like that Modi might win. Afghanistan’s looming situation, Taliban insurgency in FATA, and many internal matters of Pakistan are complicating the situation”.
Sir Gerald Korfman MP said: “Kashmir Issue is longest standing international issue in the world – longer even than Palestine – taken to UN Security Council, by India. It’s a shame on the international community that this issue has not been solved. It’s not just about the dreadful humanitarian atrocities, this is a situation of world crisis – both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, and they have fought several wars over Kashmir.”
Clive Betts MP Chairman Communities and Local Government Select Committee said that the people of Kashmir should have the central say about their future. Steve Baker MP and David Ward MP stressed the need for bringing professionalism in Kashmiris campaign for their rights and forging links with all communities.
Jason McCartney MP said that the time is ripe for the self-determination of Kashmiris. Kashmiri scholar and analyst Ershad Mehmood stressed the need to highlight the crucial role of Kashmiris in any dialogue relating to Kashmir in ensuring a sustainable and just peace. He said: “Now is the critical time for policymakers to devote their time, resources and intellectual energies to the Kashmir conflict for multiple reasons. There are an increasing number of reports from the ground in Kashmir of a likely resurgence in militant activity with the active participation of educated youth in Kashmir. There are concerns that governments have not capitalized on the period of relative calm over the last 10 years to achieve significant progress on dialogue and peace building, making a spike in militant activity and violence at the LoC more likely in the immediate future.”