Norwegian parliament moved on grim rights’ situation in IOK

Oslo: An interpolation has been tabled in the Norwegian parliament urging the world community to play its active role in resolving the Kashmir dispute to avert a possible nuclear war in the South Asian region.

The interpolation was tabled by Knut Ariled Hareide, Chairman of Parliamentary Group on Kashmir and a member of parliament and the head of the Christian Democratic Party.

Knut Arild Hareide termed Kashmir a serious and unresolved conflict which makes the area highly militarized and thus creating the risk of war between two nuclear powers of India and Pakistan. He said that unresolved Kashmir dispute posed a serious threat to international security.

Knut Arild Hareide raised several pertinent questions in his interpolation. He asked Norwegian Foreign Minister “What strategies Foreign Minister considers are suitable and what initiatives will the Foreign Minister take to bring Pakistan and India into a process that could accelerate a peaceful solution to the conflict?” He suggested that the international community must engage more actively to find a solution to the Kashmir issue. Norway can – preferably in cooperation with the Europe Union, the United States and other countries – examine whether the UN or other international forums can take initiatives to reduce violence and conflict levels, strengthen human rights situation, improve and pave the way for a peace process in Kashmir, he maintained.

Earlier a debate was held in 2010 and again in September 2012 when the Norwegian parliament raised the issue of existence of unidentified mass graves in occupied Kashmir. In May 2013 interpolation entitled “Kashmir on the backdrop of withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in 2014” was submitted for a debate by the Chairman of the Norwegian parliamentary Kashmir Committee and Christian Democrat (KrF) Party leader Mr. Knut Arild Hareide.

Ali Shahnawaz Khan, Executive Director of the Kashmiri Scandinavian Council, Norway and leader of the Christian Democratic Party, lauded Norwegian Government for Kashmir interpolation move in the parliament.