*Karachi – British Parliamentarian Naz Shah has said that from 2015onwards, Britain sold more than half a billion pounds-worth of arms toIndia, which will contribute to shedding the blood of the Kashmiri people.*
Addressing the UK Parliament on “End the siege in Kashmir”, Shah said:”Without the reassurances from the UN, we cannot be sure that we are notcontributing to a genocide.”
She stated, “As a proud daughter of Kashmir, I simply ask the Ministerwhether the Prime Minister, who has now cancelled his visit to India, willfollow on and cancel the shipment of arms to India?”
She said we do not need international leaders and governments protestingwith words; we have activists on the streets for that. “We needinternational leaders and governments with the will to take action and stopgenocide taking place. The time to act is now. Will the minister act nowwhile there is still time, or history will not be so forgiving?”
Mentioning the establishment and importance of the United Nations, theBritish parliamentarian said that the world set up the United Nations in1945 with peace, justice and international co-operation in mind.
Quoting President Truman’s words, she said: “If we had had this Charter afew years ago—and above all, the will to use it—millions now dead would bealive. If we should falter in the future in our will to use it, millionsnow living will surely die.”
Naz Shah pointed out that the charter lives on today but, tragically forthe people of Kashmir, the will to use it does not.
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She maintained that UN Security Council resolution 47, which provides forthe right of a plebiscite for the people of Kashmir, has existed since1948. “The will to implement still does not. Seventy-four years on, thetrajectory for the people of Kashmir is leading to a future far from aright of self-determination and closer to one of non-existence.”
Highlighting grave human rights violations and killings of Kashmiri peopleat the hands of Indian forces, Naz said that in 2019, India unilaterallyrevoked article 370, removing the special status of Kashmir, outrightlydefying the United Nations resolution, setting back previously agreedinternational resolutions such as the Simla agreement, arresting Kashmiripolitical leaders, enforcing curfews, implementing a media blackout, anddenying internationally agreed principles of human rights for Kashmiripeople.
Shedding light on India’s brutality in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir,the British lawmaker mentioned that from the start of 2010 to the 2019siege, the Kashmiri people have been shut off from the entireworld—occupied by more than 600,000 Indian soldiers, in the largestmilitary operation in the world; Kashmiri women targeted for rape; 250Kashmiris killed; 1,500 injured; 657 houses destroyed; 4,815 cordon andsearch operations during the past one year alone.
She stated that several political leaders are under house arrest whilethousands of non-Kashmiri Hindus of India issued with domicilecertificates.
She said the Indian Government proactively changed the very demographics ofKashmir, leading only to a path of ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri people.”Without the UN rapporteurs allowed into the region, and with every reportout of the region censored, how can anyone assure this House that agenocide in Kashmir is not taking place?” she questioned.
