Kashmiri Wishes Must be respected: Sardar Qayyum Niazi

Washington, D.C. April 11: “Kashmir is the longest running dispute on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. The cause of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is sacred and the people of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan will never let the people of Kashmir down,” this was stated by Sardar Qayyum Niazi, former minister of Azad Kashmir and the chief guest of the occasion that was attended by friends of Kashmir. Mr. Niazi said that India and Pakistan must accept the solution of the dispute according to the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir. He quoted Daniel S. Markey of Council of Foreign Relatiosn who said “There is little doubt that normalized relations between India and Pakistan, including a regionally acceptable settlement on Kashmir, would offer tremendous benefits to the United States.”

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman of the session and the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness said “At the heart of the Obama Administration which engenders fresh hopes for the strengthening of world peace and the lessening of human misery, we expect renewed attention of our Administration to the 67-year old Kashmir dispute to which India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir are parties. Fai said that no one knows better than Presidnet obama the implications for American strategy of conflict in a region involving India, Pakistan and Afghanistan — and of the delicate relationship that need to be safeguarded from violent disruption. Fai emphasized that India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the disputed territory of Kashmir and the potential for a more devastating third can hardly be said to have been removed, especially in view of the nonviolent and popular uprising in Kashmir. Despite the heavy cost, the people of Kashmir are not likely to give up their resistance to alien occupation.”

Altaf Hussain Wani, representative of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, who was the guest of honor updated the audience about his activities at the United Nations in Geneva. He said there is an interest about Kashmir at the international scene and there is an engagement of the world powers with both India and Pakistan. The world powers are concerned, particularly after the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan. They would like to see a tension free region of South Asia which is not possible without tangible progress on the Kashmir conflict that has remained the bone of contention of tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad for the last 67 years. Mr. Wani said that his delegation has met with the United Nations experts in Geneva and demanded an immediate humanitarian intervention on Kashmir

Sardar Affan Attique Khan while expressing his support to the right of self-determination criticized the double standards of the world powers. He expressed his concern about the detention of unarmed people in Jammu & Kashmir. He said the Kashmir conflict must be resolved through democratic method of free, fair and impartial plebiscite which was guaranteed under the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. He appealed the United Nations to persuade both India and Pakistan to settle the Kashmir dispute peacefully and amicably.

Sardar Zulfiqar Roshan Khan said the news from Kashmir is always about devastation, killings, torture and detention of innocent people. He quoted ‘Associaiton fo Parents of Disappeared Persons’ who said that there are 8000 to 10,000 people who have disappeared in Kashmir since 1991 and no one knows whether they are dead or alive.

Sardar Zubair Khan welcomed the participants to this important gathering and thanked them for their continued support to the Kashmir cause.

Sardar Gulfaraz Inqilabi, the ‘Master of Ceremony’ said that our main objective as Kashmiri Americans should be to invite and re-invite the attention of the US Administration to help resolve the Kashmir conflict through peaceful negotions between Governments of India & Pakistan and the leadership of the people of Kashmir.