Kashmiri activists, meeting in Washington, have decided to mobilize public opinion in this capital city and at the United Nations — both in New York and in Geneva — on India’s gross human rights in Kashmir, according to a press release issued on Wednesday by the World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), an advocacy group, which organized the session.
The meeting appointed a committee to organize two events — one on August 5 to commemorate the day when India illegally annexed Jammu and Kashmir, and the second to organize a peaceful rally in New York in September during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, the press release said.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, WKAF’s president, underscored the role of diaspora in highlighting and bringing into focus the human rights abuses and denial of the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir.
“We are in the process of organizing the diaspora to reach out to the US communities and our elected representatives,” he said.
Dr. Pir Syed Ali Raza Bukhari, a parliamentarian from Azad Kashmir and Chairman of the International Sufi Peace Forum, who was the chief guest, emphasized that the peaceful resolution of longstanding Kashmir dispute will guarantee durable peace and stability in the region of South Asia.
“The people of India and Pakistan need healthcare, education, clean water which is only possible once you create an atmosphere of peace by giving the people of Jammu & Kashmir right to self-determination,” he said.
Abdul Shakoor, President of the Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan & Assistant Secretary General, Istanbul-based, “Union of NGO’s of Islamic World (UNIW)”, a humanitarian organization, was the guest of honor. He said that Kashmiri-Americans are positioned at one of the most important capitals of the world – Washington, DC.
The youth and students must be motivated to volunteer in various activities of WKAF, be it social media, organizing seminars, symposium, lectures on university campuses and elsewhere. The material published by WKAF needs to be translated in various language, including Arabic and French.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of WKAF, said that the most important and poignant aspect of the situation in Kashmir is uncertainty, unpredictability, and anxiety of the unknown. Thousands have been brutally killed or cling to life in hospitals, in jails, in secret torture cells.—INP
