ISLAMABAD -Speakers including President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan, Pakistan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Mohammad Nafees Zakaria and British Parliamentarians in a webinar/video conference on Kashmir called upon the international community and the United Nations to take serious notice of human rights and sexual abuses, tortures, rapes and killings of innocent and oppressed people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).
They also called for mounting pressure on India to ensure an immediate end to human rights and sexual abuses in Indian occupied Kashmir, besides making India accountable for crimes against humanity and immediate solution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions by allowing Kashmiris to decide their future destiny through a UN sponsored plebiscite for peace and prosperity in South Asia.
The Webinar cum video conference was organized by Pakistan High Commission London the other day to appraise and invite the attention of the international community about the massive violations of the human rights including state sponsored extra judicial killings, tortures, murders, sexual abuses, forces disappearances and incarceration of Kashmiri leaders and youth in Indian and occupied Kashmir jails.
Keeping in view of the direct relevance of the UN International days for the elimination of sexual abuse in conflicts observed on June 19, International Widows day observed on June 23 and international day in the support of victims of torture which was marked on June 26 (Friday), the High Commission organized the virtual seminar on the topic entitled "Seeking justice for Indian occupied Kashmir victims of sexual violence and physical torture and widows".
The Webinar/Video conference was addressed among others by cross party Members British Parliament, Councillors, British-Pakistani and Kashmiri leaders, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan, and Pakistan High Commissioner to UK Mohammad Nafees Zakaria.
Speaking on the occasion, Member British Parliament Afzal Khan MP, strongly condemned India for the human right abuses including violence against women, sexual abuses, tortures and killings of people including youth in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir(IOJK) to subdue their birth right to self determination.
He said thousands of Kashmiri women have lost their husbands and they need justice from the international community.
He called for creating awareness about the importance of Kashmir dispute internationally including in the United Kingdom so that steps should be taken for the peaceful resolution of the dispute and in accordance with the UNSC resolutions.
He added that lockdown in UN and in IOJK were quite different as the people in IOJK were without medicines and jobs and they need international community help in this regard.
He called for working together for the resolution of Kashmir dispute and putting pressure on India to stop violation of human rights in the occupied Kashmir and grant Kashmiris their inalienable right to self determination.
Speaking on the occasion Tony Lloyd MP expressed his deep concerns over the outrageous erosion of human rights abuses in Indian held Kashmir.
He condemned human right abuses against women at the hands of Indian occupation forces adding that sexual violence against women was a war crime.
He said that Britain as member of permanent five (P-5) has influence in the UNSC and "We have responsibility to implement UN resolutions on Kashmir".
"People of Kashmir deserve the right of self determination", he remarked.
In his remarks Barrister Imran Hussain MP, also strongly condemning the ongoing human rights crisis in IOJ&K and said that this practice of injustice had been continuing since 1948 against the people of occupied Kashmir and the same atrocities were still
continuing unchecked against the innocent Kashmiris .
Imran Hussain MP further said Indian had been continuously violating the international laws and recently it had abrogated the Article-370 and 35-A which was in contravention of international laws on IOJ&K.
He questioned that why International community has shut its eyes on the gross violations of human rights in Indian occupied Kashmir and the important international
issue on the UNSC agenda.
Imran Hussain MP further said that "its time to implement UNSC resolutions including Kashmir dispute and sons and daughters of Kashmir should be given now their inalienable right to self determination".
He also condemned the draconian laws in Indian occupied Kashmir like Public Safety Act, and Armed Forces Special Act etc,which were also in contravention and breach of International laws and human rights.
He called for doing away with these laws for the protection of innocent lives of people of IOJK.
Speaking on the occasion,President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan thanked Pakistan High Commission for organizing this important seminar on Kashmir issue and termed it timely and also thanked the speakers for their support to the oppressed people of Indian occupied Kashmir who were struggling to achieve their right to self determination.
He strongly condemned Narendra Modi led fascist Indian government and its occupation forces backed by Hindu terrorist organization like RSS were involved in the genocide of the Muslims in India and Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He added that sexual violence against women and genocide of youth and children and torture against innocent Kashmiris in IOJ&K were rampant and continued unabated.
He said that more than 900,000 indian occupation forces in occupied Kashmir were perpetrating untold atrocities against the women, youth and children.
Commenting on action taken by the Indian government on August 5 last year and introduction on new domicile laws in IOJ&K this year were clear violation of UNSC resolutions on Kashmir.
He said under the Indian news domicile law, 25,000 Hindus from India were granted domiciles of IOJ&K while the Kashmiri people were running from pillar to post to get domicile to prove their identity as Kashmirirs.
Sardar Masood Khan said that India was willing to import millions of people from India into IOJK for settlement.
He said that India has also unleashed a war against Pakistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
He said that now Kashmir has been internationalized and cannot be changed as a domestic issue.
He called upon the British government to stop its investments in India and also slap economic sanctions against India for violating the international laws, human rights and UN charter in IOJ&K.
He also called for mobilizing Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO) and British government to pressure India stop violation of human rights in IOJK and implement UNSC resolutions on Kashmir for its peaceful solution.
The AJK President also appreciated the European Union (EU) and UK members of parliaments for raising Kashmir issue in their respective parliaments.
Speaking on the occasion, Mashal Malik wife of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Yasin Malik who was incarcerated in Tihar Jail by India on false charges against him said that she belonged to IOJK and victim of India torture
as her husband was languishing in Indian jail and she was living like what she called a "half widow".
She said that during the visit of UN Secretary General to Pakistan, she met him and also appraised him about deteriorating human rights situation in Indian occupied Kashmir.
Mashal Malik thanked Malaysia for its support to the people of Indian occupied Kashmir for their right to self determination.
She added that Indian occupation forces were also targeting and shelling innocent civilian population in Azad Kashmir.
She called upon the UN and International community including the UK to take notices of the massive human rights abuses and put pressure on India to immediately stop it and grant the right of self determination to the people of Kashmir.
British-Pakistani and Kashmiri leaders Shahid Iqbal, Yasmin Dar, Raja Najabat Hussain, Dr. Nazir Gillani, Syed Ali Raza ,Khalid Mehmood, Asim Rashid, Liaqat Ali,Sikandar Khan ,Muhammad Ayub Thakur, and Uzma Rasool also spoke on the occasion.
They paid glowing tributes to people of Indian occupied Kashmir for their struggle and sacrifices to achieve their just and birth right to self determination and complete freedom for Indian subjugation.
The speakers on the occasion called upon Pakistan as party to dispute take the human rights violations and genocide of Kashmiris by India to International Court of Justice (ICJ) to expose Indian atrocities in IO&JK internationally.
They also called for implementation of UNSC resolutions on Kashmir for its peaceful solution.
They appreciated Pakistan High Commission for organizing the seminar on Kashmir issue.
They hoped that freedom struggle and sacrifices of people of IO&JK would not go waste and their struggle would soon crown with success.
Pakistan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Mohammad Nafees Zakaria in his concluding remarks thanked the participants of the Webinar/Video conference on Kashmir and an issue of international importance and raising the voice for the oppressed people of Indian occupied Kashmir and mustering their support for their inalienable right to self-determination.
Pakistan High Commissioner also expressed his grave concerns over the current deteriorating human rights violations and humanitarian crisis in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He also reiterated Pakistan commitment to extend full moral, political and diplomatic support to people of Indian occupied Kashmir till the achievement of their birth right to self determination and complete freedom from Indian subjugation.
High Commissioner,Mohammad Nafees Zakaria took into account multiple facets of the long standing dispute of Kashmir.
He traced genesis of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe and said that Kashmir issue was back on the international radar in the wake of illegal actions taken by the Indian BJP government on August 5,2019.
The status of longstanding international dispute of Kashmir was changed by India in blatant violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions ,which promised Kashmiris right to self determination under UN supervised plebiscite ,he remarked.
Mr.Zakaria said that the siege and ongoing humanitarian crisis in IOJK necessitated response from the international community including the UK and play their vital role to stop India violation of human rights in occupied Kashmir and make India and its occupation forces accountable for crime against humanity in IOJK.
He also also called upon the international community and the UNSC to play their vital role by forcing India to implement UNSC resolutions on Kashmir for lasting peace and prosperity in the region.
He identified that there were numerous crimes against humanity, committed by the Indian occupation forces, including thousands of massacres since 1989, mass rape of Kashmir women of Kunan, Pashpora, dialemma of "Half widows", mass blinding and
physical tortures, all documented by the international human rights organizations.