F.P. Report
LONDON: President of the independent part of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir valley on Wednesday called on the United Kingdom to play a role in resolving the longstanding Kashmir dispute, which, he said, can even trigger a nuclear war.
“If Britain plays an effective role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a breakthrough could be reached in resolving the Kashmir issue,” Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan said while addressing Kashmir Conference held at the British Parliament.
Organized by the Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK on the occasion of the Kashmir Solidarity Day, the conference was for the first time attended by over 50 Conservative Party lawmakers. The chief guests were Sardar Masood Khan and the Jammu Kashmir Salvation Movement leader Altaf Ahmed Bhat.
Khan lamented that no country reacted to the situation that India has created in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) by annexing the disputed territory and imposing a continuous curfew there.
“However, parliamentarians from different countries have publicly raised their voice over the tense and serious situations. Peace in the world requires that the Kashmir issue be addressed,” he added.
He said India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fascist ideology is whipping up war hysteria.
“Pakistan is showing patience. Pakistan and Kashmiris want a peaceful, lasting solution to Kashmir issue, according to the global agreements and Indian commitments.”
“Indian warmongering is putting security and peace of entire South Asia in jeopardy, and it is the collective responsibility of the international community to intervene.”
He paid tribute to the efforts of Altaf Ahmed Bhat and the TeK UK President Raja Fahim Kayani for highlighting the Kashmir dispute and said it was for the first time that over 50 MPs participated in a Kashmir Conference and showed concern for Kashmir cause.
“This strengthens the cause and encourages the Kashmiris and Pakistanis striving and raising the voice for the besieged Kashmiris all over the world. It also encourages the Kashmiri and Pakistani organizations fighting for the rights of Kashmiris on diplomatic fronts,” he said.
Bhat told the audience true stories of Indian atrocities in the IOJK and exposed the organized crimes committed by Indian government under Modi and his right-hand men – Amit Shah, and Ajit Doval.
He said since August 5, when India unilaterally revoked special status of the disputed valley, the life and economy of the IOJK have paralyzed.
“Schools, colleges, universities and hospitals are closed and turned into army camps for additional forces. 91- year-old leader Syed Ali Geelani is locked up in the house for the past ten years.
“[Other pro-independence leaders] Shabbir Shah, Yasin Malik, Asia Andrabi, Dr Fayyaz, and Zafar Akbar Bhat are kept in prisons, while their health is continuously deteriorating.”
Bhat said Narendra Modi and the current Indian army chief have created a warlike situation in occupied Kashmir and the Line of Control that can take the form of any nuclear war.
“Due to this situation, peace of not only South Asia but the entire world is at risk. Therefore, international organizations and democracies must step in to resolve the Kashmir dispute according to resolutions of the UN and aspirations of Kashmiri people,” he said.
TeK Europe President Mohammed Ghalib said huge participation of the British MPs in the conference sends across a clear message to India that the people of Kashmir are not alone in the struggle. Tek UK President Raja Fahim Kayani thanked MP Paul Bristow for helping organizing the conference.
