National Kashmir Conference, Kashmir issue is above politics: Siraj

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Amir Senator Sirajul Haq said on Wednesday that the Kashmir issue is above the politics but unfortunately government could not highlight this issue at international level and failed to meet the nation’s expectations in fighting the case of Kashmir after Modi’s 5th August, 2019 step.Sirajul Haq expressed these views while addressing National Kashmir Conference, hosted by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan at a local hotel on Wednesday. The Kashmir conference has proposed the formation of a joint political task force and creation of special seat of vice-foreign minister on Kashmir to highlight and fight the case of the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) at international level, says a press release.

JI Amir Senator Sirajul Haq presided over the conference while Azad Jammu & Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar, former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, PML-N senior leaders Senator Raja Zafarul Haq and Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, JI Naib Amir Liaquat Baloch, JI Secretary General Ameerul Azim, JUI-F Secretary General Abdul Ghafoor Haidri, senior diplomat Abdul Basit, senior journalist Hamid Mir and others were among the speakers.

“We will move forward on the proposal of Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed for the formation of joint political task force. Government and opposition parties must work together for the cause. There is serious threat to the peace of South Asia due to hegemonic designs of Modi’s fascist government for the region,” said Senator Siraj, vowing to continue full support to the freedom struggle of the people of the held valley.

“We will fight the case of Kashmir till the last drop of blood in our bodies. The nation is standing firmly with their Kashmiri brethren till the dawn of freedom rise on Kashmir,” said the JI Amir, asking the government to develop with national consensus a National Action Plan on Kashmir for the freedom of the people of the area from Indian yoke. He assured the government support from all political parties to the cause once it took a step forward on the issue. Unfortunately, he regretted, the government failed to meet the nation expectations and fight the case of Kashmir after Modi’s 5th August, 2019 step.

“Government should announce a diplomatic emergency on Kashmir. It should give status to the AJK government as the representative body of entire Kashmir (including the Indian occupied area). Government should immediately host international Kashmir conference and it should allow visa free entry to the people of occupied Jammu Kashmir to Pakistan,” proposed the JI chief.

A joint declaration was adopted on occasion which condemned the revocation of special status of the occupied Kashmir by the Indian government.

The National Kashmir Conference expressed concern on gross human rights violation, torture and extrajudicial killings of Kashmiri youth and detention of Kashmiri leadership in the held area. It expressed concern over the settlement of the RSS members and other Hindu extremists in the occupied area with the plan to turn the Kashmir’s Muslim majority into minority. The conference also condemned ban on media freedom, curb on internet and check on the entry of international human rights organisation and journalists to the occupied area.

The conference paid homage to the international organisations, rights activists, journalists, independent observers, Kashmir and Pakistan diaspora, who have been raising strong voice against the Indian crime and human rights violations in the held area particularly after the Modi’s act of 5th August 2019.

The participants endorsed the right to self-determination of the Kashmir people according to the resolutions of the United Nations, saying the masses of the occupied area have the right to take any step to defend the Indian forces atrocities and continue their freedom struggle. It said Kashmir is four-party dispute. People of Kashmir was the first party who are struggling to get freedom from illegal occupation of India, Pakistan as a lawful claimant and the UNO which was responsible to resolve the dispute according to the wishes of the people of Kashmir.

The national leadership urged the government to chalk out a cohesive and consistent narrative on Kashmir. There is dire need to take seriously the threatening statements by the fascist Modi government regarding attack on AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. Foreign office should devise a decisive policy to expose Indian fascism and violations in the occupied Kashmir.