‘Kashmiris can’t be denied their right indefinitely’

Islamabad:Senator Zarqa Suhrawardy Taimur, Chairperson, Senate’s Function Committee on Devolution, has said that Pakistan is committed to support Kashmiris in their quest for self-determination.

Senator Zarqa was addressing a seminar on “Kashmir’s accession with Pakistan: Reflections of Kashmiris” organised here by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in collaboration with the Youth Forum for Kashmir. Senator Zarqa emphasised the necessity of evaluating the effectiveness of Pakistan's support to Kashmir cause.

Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Secretary-General, All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Azad Kashmir, provided historical context of Kashmir dispute, citing July 19, 1947, resolution whereby Kashmiris expressed their desire to accede to Pakistan. He also discussed the cultural and religious affinities that align Kashmiris with Pakistan. Altaf Wani, Chairperson, Kashmir Institute of International Relations, paid tribute to the foresightedness of the leadership of the Muslim Conference, which decided to accede to Pakistan. He said that the deplorable situation of Kashmiris in Indian occupied Kashmir proved that the decision made by the people of Azad Jammu Kashmir was right.

A Kashmiri lady who joined the seminar virtually from Srinagar said that the rosy picture of Indian-held Jammu & Kashmir painted by the Indian media was totally contrary to reality. In actual fact, the suppression of the people of Jammu and Kashmir had crossed all limits as 80,000 Muslim boys of Kashmir were being incarcerated in detention centres while thousands of women were being raped and millions of Kashmiris faced subjugation of all kind at all levels. Journalist Farukh Pitafi observed that Kashmiris enjoyed peace and freedom in Pakistan, while in occupied area, they were deprived of all freedoms and lived under worst kind of oppression. But eventually India would have no choice but to relent and implement the UNSC resolutions.

The speakers underscored the enduring significance of Kashmir’s symbolic accession to Pakistan and the ongoing struggle for the right of self-determination. Earlier, Jauhar Saleem, President, IRS, in his opening remarks highlighted how entire South Asia’s peace and development had been blocked by India’s hegemonic designs epitomised by its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.