Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Kashmir conflict can lead South Asia to nuclear confrontation, Indian state terror in Kashmir is a threat to peace and stability in the region, Modi and BJP are fascists pursuing Hitler’s ideology, India cannot back off from Indus Water Treaty, case of Kashmiri nation is strong but Pakistani efforts are poor to highlight it, the world has become indifferent to plight of Kashmiri nation.

These were unanimous views of speakers at a seminar jointly organised by Islamabad based independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) and NUST Global Think Tank Network (NUST-GTTN) at NUST.

President AJK Sardar Masood Khan was the chief guest and keynote speaker of the seminar while Lt. General (Retd) Asad Durrani, Eng Shamsul Mulk, Akram Zaki, Prof. Ashraf Saraf, Dr. Muhammad Khan, Mushaal Yaseen Malik, Farzana Yaqoob, Babar Qadri Advocate (from Srinagar), and others also spoke on the occasion. The seminar was attended by foreign diplomats, academia, intellectuals, civil society and students of different university.

Sardar Masood Khan said that there is no doubt the Indian occupation of Kashmir is illegal from aspects of all international laws but even there are international laws for occupational forces to follow a code of conduct but unfortunately India is not taking into account any international obligation when using brutal force to press Kashmiri’s quest for freedom.

He said that when Sushman Suwraj was claiming at UNGA that Kashmir is internal matter of India the people of Kashmir were on streets waving Pakistani flags and demanding freedom from India then how it became an internal affair. “UN resolutions demand referendum in Kashmir and we see that Kashmiri nation is holding referendum against Indian occupation almost every day”, he maintained.

The AJK President said that unarmed people are on streets and demanding freedom but India is decaling them terrorists. It is following Chankiyan philosophy to spread as much lies as possible but these lies will not work in the long run and the world will have to listen to the voices coming from occupied Kashmir.

He said that the big powers have double standards while dealing with different conflicts. There is humanitarian crisis in Kashmir for the last three months but no one cares but in Syria they have created ‘humanitarian corridor’ against the will and permission of the rulers of that country.

He said that some countries have India as strategic partner therefore they are not ready to pay proper attention to the plight of the people of Kashmir. He said that UN should not lose its relevance and it should not have double standards for different countries. It has to play its role to resolve the issue of Kashmir. He said that UN resolutions on Kashmir are still valid and there is no time line for them that they will expire.

He said that Kashmir cause and Kashmir case is very strong but the efforts of those who are living in Azad Kashmir are not as strong as those who are living under occupation. We should step up our efforts.

President AJK said that India is threatening to use water as a weapon of war which can endanger regional security.

He said that mountains of Azad Kashmir provide a natural defense to Pakistan while thousands of soldiers and officers and Pakistani armed forces are also contributing for the defense of Pakistan. Kashmir has a vital role to play in defense and economy of Pakistan. CPEC also passes through the State of Jammu and Kashmir and it will be another contribution from Kashmir for Pakistan.

Sardar Masood Khan underlined the need to fight the freedom struggle on social media. He complained that Pakistan’s mainstream media is not giving proper coverage to the Kashmir issue while Indian media is aggressively promoting Indian narrative at international level.

Former Director General ISI Lt. General Asad Durrai said in that Uri Attack was a false flag operation to justify self-proclaimed surgical strikes. Indian media is not independent and is well controlled by the Indian establishment therefore it made their public to believe the false claims of surgical strikes. But the question is will India be able to survive another Uri and what would be reaction in that case.

He said that seventy years of Indian occupation could not deter Kashmiri’s resolve for freedom and there is no point that India can force them back off from their demand for freedom.

Former Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkwha Engineer Shamsul Mulk said that Kashmir is not an issue for just Kashmiri people but it is related to the foundation and formation of Pakistan. He said that Kashmir has to get independence from Indian occupation but the only think we lack is the leadership. We need a leadership like Quad-e-Azam who got a country without firing a single bullet.

Chairman PICSS M Akram Zaki said that Kashmir conflict is one of the oldest outstanding conflicts in the world which demands urgent attention due to recent uprising in the Kashmir Valley. He said that every Pakistani is concerned with Kashmir issue and the sufferings of the people of Kashmir. He said that few people in Pakistan has deviated from the course to achieve regional cooperation but in general the Pakistani people are committed to the cause of Kashmir.

He said until Kashmir issue is not resolved, peace and stability in the region is not possible. He said the nuclear aspect of the Kashmir issue makes it more dangerous than Palestine though the issue of Palestine is also very important for the Muslim Ummah. The Palestinian Ambassador was also attending the seminar.

Senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Prof. Ashraf Saraf delivered a very emotional and heart touching speech and said that Indian oppression cannot bar us from loving Quad-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal. “We are Pakistanis and believe in Pakistan. We will keep wrapping our dead bodies in Pakistani flags because Kashmir and Pakistan are not two different things”, he added.

Advocate Babar Qadri who came from Srinagar and is president of Jammu Kashmir Lawyers Club said in his speech that General Pervez Musharraf had taken a U-Turn on Kashmir and damaged Kashmir cause but there is no option for us to take any U-Turn from our demand of freedom.

He said that it is Pakistan’s diplomatic failure that despite unprecedented human rights violation in Kashmir it is unable to properly highlight the issue on international level.

Former AJK Minister Farzana Yaqoob said that it was India who took the Kashmir issue to UN Security Council and now running away from its obligation to act upon UN resolutions.

She said that there is no time frame or timeline for the resolutions on Kashmir, they are still valid and demand to be implemented. She said that Indian claim of bilateralism is false and does not stand in the context of international law.

Former head of International Relations Department of National Defence University Dr Muhammad Khan said that India has issues not just with Pakistan with China as well. There are three nuclear powers in the region, India, Pakistan and China and if Kashmir issue is not resolved the threat of a nuclear confrontation cannot be ruled out in the region.

Mushaal Yaseen Malik said that new generation of Kashmiris is fighting with old war doctrine of India. India has installed a puppet government in occupied Kashmir to fool the world. India is governing occupied Kashmir with black laws and brutal force. From kids to elders, everyone has become victim of Indian brutalities. Life is at stand still for the last three months but unfortunately the world is not listening to the suffering of Kashmiris. She said that the claim that Pakistan is diplomatically isolated is pack of lies spread by Indian media. This is Indian narrative and we should avoid spreading it.