Right to freedom never gets Extinguished: Mirwaiz of Kashmir
'Pakistan Times' Kashmir Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has said that the recent declaration of independence by Kosovo has encouraged the people of occupied Kashmir and hoped the international community would help in resolving the long-standing Kashmir dispute.

The APHC Chairman said this while addressing the OIC Kashmir Contact Group Meeting in the ongoing 11th Islamic Summit at Dakar in the Republic of Senegal, KMS reported.

The APHC Chairman maintained that the right to freedom never gets extinguished as had been proved by the Kosovo declaration.

Mirwaiz said that the OIC supported the principled stand of Kashmiris and took some pro-active initiatives in this regard, but these initiatives were stunted due to India’s non co-operation and disapproval.

He proposed that OIC in conjunction with international community should visualize a constructive international initiative to compliment the slow paced dialogue between India and Pakistan and make it an instrument of change and added that this was not possible without including the genuine leadership of Kashmiris.

The APHC Chairman emphasized the need to create ideal conditions for a constructive and meaningful dialogue and lamented that the zero tolerance promise of the Prime Minister of India was still unrealised in Kashmir.

He maintained, the people of Kashmir have been victims of international neglect, double standards and self-enlightened interests of powerful states, but at the same time emergence of some voices across the globe pleading for international facilitation to solve Kashmir dispute is encouraging.

Mirwaiz asserted, the APHC has time and again reiterated that a way forward is possible through pragmatism, realism and political will and with this intention the APHC have had a few rounds of discussion with the Prime Minister of India and the President of Pakistan, but little progress has been made till date.

He urged India to be more realistic and examine the new circumstances prevailing in South Asia, which had made Kashmir a flash point.

He also appealed to all the well-wishers of regional and global peace to come forward and pre-empt the hidden dangers of potential escalation in a conflict like Kashmir.

Terming the Kashmir dispute as the root cause of tension between Pakistan and India, Mirwaiz said that it should be resolved to the satisfaction of the Kashmiris and urged India to start the demilitarization of Kashmir without further delay to boost the on going dialogue process.

The APHC Chairman requested all OIC member states to continue their strong diplomatic and moral support to Kashmir cause and impress upon India to end its human rights violations and repeal draconian laws.

He also urged them to persuade the United Nations to conduct and supervise an election in the whole of the State of Jammu and Kashmir under its auspices to determine the political future of the State.

Earlier, the APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq participated in the OIC Summit.●