Daily Times

The head of Kashmir Diaspora Coalition (KDC), an umbrella organization of Kashmiri diaspora bodies, has called on Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto to reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering stand for Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination during his upcoming visit to India. The foreign minister is set to participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held on May 4-5 in Panaji, the capital of Goa.

In a statement, Dr Ghulam N. Mir, chairman of KDA, said that while they feel Pakistan should have abstained from participation, the minister must make it clear that there will be no talks with India unless the Modi government reverses Article 35 A of India’s Constitution, which accords special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and especially the ‘Domicile Law’ that is aimed at changing the demography of the disputed state.

The foreign minister’s interaction with his counterparts as well as Indian media provides him an opportunity to spell out India’s controversial decision to hold a G20 meeting in the internationally recognized disputed territory of Kashmir, Mir said. “He (Bilawal) must tell his counterparts that its aim is to divert global attention from the core issue of the occupation of a people without their consent,” the KDA chairman said, adding that it undermines the legitimacy of the Kashmiris’ demand for a plebiscite in accordance with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

“The foreign minister must also demand the unconditional release of all political prisoners who have been wrongfully detained under politically motivated ‘Unlawful Activities Prevention Act’ (UAPA) which is designed to harass, assault and imprison Kashmir’s human rights activists, political leaders, and journalists,” he said. One prime example cited was that of Khurram Parvez, an internationally recognized human rights defender about whom UN’s Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor has said, ‘Khurram Parvez is not a terrorist. He is a human rights defender.’

The Kashmir Diaspora Coalition (KDC) has six international affiliates: World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Washington, DC; Kashmir House Istanbul; Kashmir Civitas, Canada; World Kashmir Freedom Movement, London; Tehreek-Kashmir, UK and Europe and Kashmir Campaign Global, London.