Daily Times

Istanbul, Turkey. December 17, 2017 “We urge the United Nations and the world powers that it exercise its good offices with all the three parties to the dispute — India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir — immediately to set a credible peace process in motion.

Every day of delay means many innocent lives lost. We ask for no partiality but we do expect that the United Nations will uphold the principles proclaimed in its Charter for a world order, governed by the rule of law. We also expect that it will not turn a deaf ear to the cries of anguish coming from the streets of Kashmir,” this was stated by Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum at the “International Non-Governmental Organisations’ Fair” that took place in Istanbul, Turkey.

Kashmir does not constitute an undemarcated frontier between India and Pakistan which could be marked through a bilateral agreement. It is inhabited by a people with their own history, their own language, their own culture and their own individuality

More than 4,000 participants, from 65 countries attended the Fair. The international conflicts that were discussed and deliberated during the Fairincluded, Rohingya problem; The issue of Al-Quds; Kashmir dispute;Syrian Crisis; Human Rights Situation in Egypt; Current Circumstances in Iraq; Update About Bosnia; The War in Yemen; etc. etc.

Dr Fai added, “The people of Kashmir are dismayed by the policy of the United Nations towards the Kashmir dispute. While making occasional remarks about ‘the abuse of human rights’ – an understatement – committed by India in Kashmir and elsewhere and about the desirability of resolving the Kashmir conflict, the United Nations refuses to exert its influence in order to persuade the Indian Government to turn to a saner course. Indeed, whether so designed or not, current policy of the United Nations has encouraged the Indian Government to believe that all it needs is some political maneuvering to dissipate foreign concern over the appalling situation in Kashmir.”

“Kashmir does not constitute an undemarcated frontier between India and Pakistan which could be marked through a bilateral agreement between the two. It is inhabited by a people with their own history, their own language, their own culture and their own individuality. The people of Kashmir cannot understand how and why the Simla Agreement (According to Sushma Suraj, the foreign minister of India) should be regarded as superseding the pledge made to them under the authority of the United Nations, with the firm support of the United States, that they will be enabled to decide the disposition of their state by their own will,” Fai observed.

Finally, Dr Fai said that they have been informed of the deep gratitude felt by the tortured people of Kashmir at the forthright and noble stand taken by Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their release from savage Indian occupation. President Erdogan’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue is a positive step in that direction.

The writer is freelance journalist and can be reached or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

Published in Daily Times, December 19^th 2017.