Muzaffarabad: (Parliament Times) The president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan has said that it was high time that the UN resolution on Kashmir issue be implemented in letter and spirit in order to assure the people of Kashmir their unequivocal right to self determination.
The President made these comments at a reception and luncheon hosted at the Presidency at Muzaffarabad in honor of British Parliamentarians; Yasmin Qureshi, Shadow Minister for Justice, Graham Jones, Faisal Rashid and Muhammad Yasin who were visiting AJK. The reception was attended by members of the AJK Legislative Assembly, Additional Chief Secretary of the Azad Government, Vice Chancellor and faculty of the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad.
Speaking on the occasion the AJK President said, “The United Nations has shied away when it came to implementing its very own resolutions on the Kashmir issue. The United Nations and international community, he said, should shun its double standards and address the plight of the Kashmiri people and the gross human rights violations taking place in IOK.
He urged the international community to take cognizance of the ‘genocide’ taking place at the hands of the Indian occupation forces. “The Armed Forces Special Powers Acts (AFSPA) has empowered the Indian forces to engage in brutal and non-accountable killings of innocent and unarmed Kashmiris who are peacefully demanding for their freedom”, he said. Sardar Masood Khan said that, “By rescinding the Indian constitutions’ article 35-A and 370, the Indian government is making way for permanently altering the demographic landscape of the Kashmiri land. The Indian government is sponsoring squatters by illegally transferring homes and lands belonging to the indigenous Kashmiri population.”
Graham Jones, MP commented that resolution of the Kashmir issue is imperative as a conflict in this region may lead to a nuclear fallout between Pakistan and India. Mr. Jones also displayed his desire to visit the IOK and impartially assess the situation on ground.
Yasmin Qureshi while responding to a question said that she and colleagues strongly advocate the Kashmir issue on the floor of the Parliament particularly the atrocious human rights violations taking place in IOK.
Muahammad Yasin displayed his deep concern on the international community’s inattention to the Kashmir Issue and regretted that it only acknowledged the Indian version. He said a fresh approach is needed, even if it calls for submitting a fresh resolution in the UN Security Council.
Faisal Rashid said that the Kashmiri Diaspora in UK are profoundly concerned over the situation in IOK and as a Member of Parliament will actively engage in lobbying and raising the issue in the British Parliament.
In his closing statements the President said that, “The United Kingdom being a permanent member of the UN Security Council must persuade the fellow permanent members and UN member nations force India to the discussion table and ensure the early implementation of the UN resolution on Kashmir”.
