The Embassy of Pakistan in Stockholm Sweden organized a special virtual event to commemorate Kashmir Solidarity Day. The key speakers of the event included: Mr. Afzal Khan, Member of the British Parliament, Lord Wajid Khan, Member of the House of Lords in the UK, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan of the Green Party, Mr. Amjad Khan of the Social Democrat Party, Malmo ,Dr Alia Amir, of Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in Mid Sweden University, Mr. ZafarIqbalChaudhry Chairman Kashmir Council, Mr. Malik Shahzad, Vice-President Kashmir Council and Dr. Zahoor Ahmed, the Ambassador of Pakistan to Stockholm. Special messages of the President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan were also read out on the occasion.
2. Addressing the event, Mr. Afzal Khan MP said that the day is being celebrated to renew our commitments to the cause and pay homage to tens of thousands of people who sacrificed their lives in this just struggle. He pointed out that on 5 August 2019; India unilaterally revoked the Article 370 and went into a new phase of gerrymandering and changing demographics of the territory. Highlighting a tale of oppression, he remarked that excessive use of force by the Indian security forces, have aggravated human right violations and unleashed a reign of terror. He called upon the UK, EU and UN to push India to resolve the issue of Kashmir as it has become the longest unresolved dispute on the UN agenda.
3. Expressing solidarity for the Kashmiri resilience, Lord Wajid said that there was a need to make sure to keep raising the voice of the Kashmir cause and against human rights abuses which have been taking place in Indian controlled Kashmir for years. He mentioned that archaic legislations of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act have led to barbaric treatments to Kashmiris, particularly women and children.
4. Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, a justice of peace in Botsyrka underlined that people in Kashmir are not being given their fundamental right to self-determination for the last 75 years. He said that they are being persecuted for they want to throw off the yoke of Indian slavery. He called on the Pakistani diaspora residing in Sweden to come forward and sensitize Swedish society about the plight and pain of Kashmiris in daily gatherings. He hoped that one day the sun of independence would dawn upon the beautiful valley of Kashmir and fellow Kashmiris would have a prosperous and peaceful life.
5. Condemning the ongoing human rights atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), Mr. Amjad Khan from Malmo city council said that what has happened in Kashmir over 75 years is nothing short of appalling and disturbing. He stressed upon highlighting a true picture of unrestricted cruelties in IIOJK through peaceful demonstrations and meeting local people who are in the corridors of power. Dr Alia Amir of Mid Sweden university said that the narrative of Kashmir needs to reach the people, through creative ways like movies and poetry.
6. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Zahoor Ahmed reiterated that the leadership and the people of Pakistan remain committed in extending moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of IIOJK in their just struggle for the right to self-determination. He highlighted that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest items on the agenda of the UN Security Council. The dispute remains unresolved due to India’s obstinate refusal to honor its commitments and its disrespect for the fundamental human rights and international law. He said that India had not only reneged on its obligations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir but has also thumbed its nose at multilateralism by backtracking on the UNSC resolutions. He said that Indian forces continue to employ torture, sexual violence and use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians including women and children, as instruments to break the will of the Kashmiri people. He called upon the international community, and especially Sweden, which is flag bearer human rights, international law and elimination of gender violence, and a moral superpower to raise its voice in the support of oppressed people of IIOJK. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad
