Barcelona: Urging the Spanish Parliamentarians to take notice of the serious human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir the president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Ahmed Khan has appealed the parliamentarians and leaders of political parties of Spain to come forward in a big way to help resolve Kashmir dispute.
The AJK president during his interactions with the parliamentary, legislators and leaders of various political parties of Spain said that given the volatile situation in the region it was incumbent upon the Spanish parliamentarians and leaders of the political parties to hold debates within the party as well as in the parliament on the situation in Kashmir and use their influence upon India to stop gross human rights violations and genocide of innocent Kashmiris in the region. Terming Spain as important part of Europe, he said that after UK’s decision to exit European Union, Spain would be reckoned as one of the largest countries of the EU. He said that weather it was the issue of protection of human rights or the issue of increase in number of permanent members in the UN Security Council, Pakistan and Spain had been on the same page. He said that as a non-permanent member of the Security Council Spain had played a significant and positive role. Khan said that in his capacity as an ambassador of Pakistan he had enjoyed a close and cordial working relationship with Spanish diplomats. Being an important country in the European Union he said that Spain must use its growing clout to pressurize India to resolve Kashmir dispute in line with the UN resolutions.
Khan said that during his four-nation visit he had also appealed the Belgium, Germany and British parliamentarians to redouble their efforts to get the UN resolutions on Kashmir implemented.
In response to a query, the AJK president said that as per the UN resolutions plebiscite would be held in all parts of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Pakistan never refused to hold plebiscite in AJK and Gilgit Baltistan saying that it was India that has been creating hurdles in the way of holding referendum in the region.
AJK president said that some European countries have unfortunately maintained silence over the issue because of having trade and economic ties with India. “This is the reason that these countries have been ignoring the most alarming issue of the use of pellet guns and genocide of civilians in occupied Kashmirâ€, he said adding that it was time that the people and the government of Spain must stop the suppressor and stand with the suppressed.
Meanwhile, the AJK president Sardar Masood Ahmed Khan had a detailed meeting with Secretary General of Catalonia’s popular party and briefed him about the prevailing political and human rights situation in the region. The secretary general assured the visiting Kashmiri leader that Spain would play an impartial role to get the Kashmir dispute resolved in accordance with Kashmiris’ aspirations.
He said that the issue of human rights violations in Indian held Kashmir would be raised at Catalonian as well as Spanish Parliament. Later on the AJK president called on Catalonian Opposition Socialist Party leader Mersiperiya. Speaking on the occasion Masood Khan said that there was no similarity whatsoever in between Kashmir and Catalonia as Kashmir dispute has been there on the UN agenda for last 70 years and the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir has never been a party of Indian, legally or geographically.
