Speakers at a seminar organized a Turkish NGO, The New World Foundation, on Kashmir have said that the time has come that the world must express solidarity with the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The speakers called upon the youth from around the globe to speak out and become voice of the millions of voiceless people of Jammu and Kashmir. Prominent among those who addressed the seminar included Ghulam Muhammad Safi, leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference; Abdul Rashid Turabi, former parliamentarian, Azad Kashmir; Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, President, World Kashmir Awareness Forum and Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, World Forum for Peace & Justice.
“Kashmir is a political issue and needs to be resolved through tripartite negotiations between India, Pakistan, and the leadership of All Parties Hurriyat Conference. The denial of right of self-determination that was promised to the people of Jammu & Kashmir by the United Nations Security Council can bring both India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear catastrophe,” Ghulam Muhammad Safi said
“The presence of 900,000 Indian occupation forces has made Kashmir the largest army concentration anywhere in the world. Today, Kashmir has become literally the most dangerous place on earth. Indian forces have been given the totally immunity under the draconian laws, like Unlawful Activity Prevention Act (UAPA), Public Safety Act, (PSA) Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and etc. World powers need to intervene for the sake of international peace and security to resolve the Kashmir conflict once for all,” Ghulam Muhammad Safi added.
Idris Ergin, Youth President of Foundation welcomed the participants to this important seminar. He said that the vision of the Foundation is that youth should be the leading voice of society. Our aim is to develop and empower them, and to work to build a multifaceted, harmonious and vibrant society. Mr. Ergin added that Education is the basic condition for success. For this reason, our foundation aims to raise our students as highly advanced in science and technology, loyal to their national and spiritual values, hardworking, knowledgeable and at the same time possessing wisdom. Foundation will do everything in its power, Mr. Ergin said to mobilize the public opinion in Turkey to pursue the cause of our brothers and sisters in Kashmir.
Ahmed Malik of the Foundation emphasized that we want to create a model that brings young people together to network and exchange ideas, develop them to reach their full potential, and generate solutions from the language of young people to build a better society for all. In addition to its contributions to education, the New World Foundation also protects the historical and cultural heritage and presents this precious treasure to the benefit of future generations. Mr. Malik was loud and clear when he said that the youth of Turkey should eb considered as ambassadors of Kashmir.
Abdul Rashid Turabi said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been demanding the right of self-determination for the last more than seven decades. India responds with bullets, pellet guns to silence the peaceful movement of liberation.
Mr. Turabi added that abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A was designed to crush the freedom movement in Kashmir. But world powers cannot deny the fact that the Kashmir issue has an international sanctity. This was made clear by Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN when he said that Kashmir issue has to be resolved under United Nations Charter and United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“Our interaction with the leadership of Turkey as well as the civil society has always been source of inspiration. The people of Turkey have always expressed their desire to see Kashmir free from Indian occupation,” Mr. Turabi said.
Dr. Ghulam N. Mir said that Kashmir was a full-fledged neo-colonialist experiment of apartheid which Mahatma Gandhi, the founder of India experienced himself as a dark Indian lawyer during his visit to South Africa. Only after he was kicked out of first-class compartment of a train, he tasted the real humiliation for being an Indian expatriate. Even so he pleaded with the White Afrikaner rulers not to end the apartheid for black majority. He, however, asked for separating Indians from local black majority.
Now his people in India, Dr. Mir added, are installing a barbaric settler-colonialist apartheid state in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It is unacceptable to the people of Kashmir no matter what the cost. India will have to face the consequences for trying to wipe out Muslim faith and culture from Kashmir.
Dr. Mir told the audience that the time has come that the world must express solidarity with the oppressed people of Kashmir and the youth from around the world must pay attention, speak out and demonstrate solidarity with the millions of people of Kashmir. You can become the voice of the voiceless people of Kashmir, Dr. Mir emphasized.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai was responding to the statement made by Indian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Arindam Bagchi on December 20, 2022, that ‘Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India.” Dr. Fai said that Kashmir is not and cannot be regarded as an integral part of India because under all international agreements, which were agreed by both India and Pakistan, negotiated by the United Nations, endorsed by the Security Council and accepted by the international community, Kashmir does not belong to any member state of the United Nations. If that was true, then the claim that Kashmir is an integral part of India does not stand.—KMS
