Terms Trump’s mediation Offer a good omen towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict:
Altaf Hamid Rao
MIRPUR : (Parliament Times) The newly-elected only Kashmir-origin member of the European Parliament Shaffaq Muhammad here Saturday called for early peaceful settlement of Kashmir issue in view of its being the issue of human rights and not a territorial and bilateral dispute between India and Pakistan. Shaffaq, the first Kashmir-born member in the European Parliament, was addressing a crowded news conference at the Kashmir Press Club here during visit to his native Mirpur district .
He was flanked by UK-based Kashmiri NGO-cum-human rights forum – the Jammu Kashmir Right to Self Determination Movement International Raja Najabat Hussain during the visit who also spoke on this occasion apprising the media of the vibrant role of Kashmir Diaspora in Britain and other Western countries raising the urgency of the resolution of Kashmir conflict. Earlier, Kashmir Press Club President Sajjad Jaraal, Secretary General Ch. Pervez Shahzad and other office bearers and members of the club felicitated Shaffaq and members of his entourage for having been elected as the only-Kashmir origin member in the European Parliament in the recent past. Shaffaq Muhammad, the EU Parliament member from British Sheffield city belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party, continued that a negotiated settlement of Kashmir issue according to the wishes of the stake holders especially the Jammu & Kashmir people was the need of hour at the pattern of soft-border regime plasticized in European and other parts of the world during the course of the Kashmir-like international issues. He also called for liberal excess to the international human rights organizations including the Amnesty International to assess the human rights situation at both sides of the line of control in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir State including Azad Jammu Kashmir and most particularly the Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir in line with the recently-emerged recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Commission report. To a question, he appreciated the recent repeated offer of mediation on Kashmir by the US President Donald Trump.
Both the leaders strongly suggested both the countries especially India to avail the opportunity of the third-party involvement for the early peaceful settlement of the much-delayed issue. Responding to series of questions, they described the frequent official visits of AJK leaders including those both from the State government besides the other local political leaders to abroad including Britain and other Western world in the name of ‘’highlighting Kashmir issue’’ a futile exercise and wastage of the public money – since they mostly only use to address the gatherings of Pakistani and Kashmiri Diaspora community and not to any formal official session or meeting of any legitimate British and European forum including the parliaments of the two, they added. Speaking on this occasion Raja Nijabat Hussain vowed the determination of the UK-based Kashmiri diaspora community to continue raising the need of early peaceful settlement of Kashmir issue and against the human rights abuses in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir at each relevant forum to muster maximum sympathies and support for early resolution of the lingering Kashmir problem..