Silence of international community on Kashmir crisis regretted

Islamabad : The Centre for Peace, Security and Developmental Studies (CPSD), organised a national conference on ‘Kashmir Crisis: Emerging Scenarios’ here.

Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan and State Minister for States and Frontier Regions Shehryar Khan Afridi was the chief guest.

CPSD President Lt General (r) Agha M Umer Farooq highlighted the significance of the topic and said that the annulment of Kashmir’s special status has stroked people of Kashmir and created greatest resentment across the Pakistan as well.

Gen Umer Farooq said the entire region is under media blackout where UN military observers, human rights organizations, INGOs, NGOs, media personnel and even the Indian opposition leaders are not allowed inside Kashmir.

He also highlighted that the region has been turned into prison where people are even denied food, water, and necessary medicines.

"The revoking of articles 370 and 35A of Indian Constitution is the testimony of BJP’s design of changing the democratic and demographic character of the Kashmir."

Senator Sherry Rehman spoke as keynote speaker and said Kashmir is a national issue which evokes widespread sentiment in Pakistan and all political parties stand against India’s forcible annexation of Kashmir.

Senator Sherry Rehman further said that the annexation of Kashmir was illegal under international law and it has further internationalized the Kashmir as it has brought two nuclear neighbors face to face at an unprecedented level of confrontation.

She said in the wake of current situation there will narrative deployment by Indian lobby against Pakistan, therefore, we to play wisely on diplomatic front to advocate the Kashmir case.

The lawmaker advocated the establishment of infrastructure for public diplomacy through engagement of think-tanks, newspapers, and people to people contact for projecting Pakistan’s narrative in an effective manners.

Sardar Masood Khan said that change of status of occupied Kashmir was the violation of not only UNSC resolutions but also Geneva Conventions and other international laws as well.

He said today people in the occupied Kashmir are being tortured, killed, incarcerate and deprived of their basic rights.

"It is unfortunate that international community is not mobilised and doing nothing to reduce the suffering of people of occupied valley."

Sardar Msood said that the recent crisis has brought to the region to serious situation.

"Silence of international community over tensions between two nuclear neighbors is criminal negligence and its repercussions not only be detrimental for Pakistan and the Kashmiri people but for the whole world.

Former ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi while presenting a comprehensive account of present Kashmir crisis said that the Kashmiri’s resistance is indigenous, resilient, decentralized, and determined therefore India will not succeed in crushing it.

He said soft power of India is more or less dead today and the fascist majority communalism (Hindutva) has already suffocated the prospects of India ever becoming great power.

The ex-ambassador said given the current situation emerged in the wake of revoking of Kashmir’s special status, India has lost the good will of pro-India factions within the Kashmir and therefore has resorted to the genocide in the valley to crush the resistance.

Minister Shehryar Afridi said that present crisis of Kashmir demand a comprehensive and unified response at national and international level.

"Every Pakistani and Kashmiri residing abroad has to play their role to project and promote the Kashmir cause at all levels."

The event was attended by the various prominent dignitaries from diplomatic corps, military, government officials, intellectuals, researchers and students.