Washington : Kashmir Global Council (KGC) hosted a one-day conference on 11th November 2021 at The Middle East Institute, a policy think-tank in Washington D.C., USA. The event was organized in collaboration with Voice of Kashmir (VOK) media. The audience comprised of political activists, academics, businessmen and media personnel, and discussed the ongoing occupation of Kashmir and the way forward. Speaking to the audience in his personal capacity, noted American activist Khizr Khan, who was recently appointed by US President Joe Biden to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), supported the struggle of the people of Kashmir, their right to independence, and their desire to live in peace with dignity. Khan read recent reports highlighting the violations of the rights of people of Kashmir and expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir.Addressing the conference remotely, former general of Pakistan army and Director General of ISI, Asad Durrani said that Pakistan failed to frame a national strategy on Kashmir and thus made a series of mistakes including missed opportunities in 1947 and 1962, and badly planned military interventions in 1965 and 1998. He called Pakistan’s response to India’s removal of Kashmir’s semi-autonomous in August 2019 as the “most pathetic response”, and criticized India for its “foolish” and “muscular” policies, Mr. Durrani stated that “India has lost Kashmir” even if it controls it territorially. He gave credit to JKLF for starting the Kashmir movement and to the people of Kashmir for continuing it till this day.KGC President, Farooq Siddiqi, highlighted the damage done to human lives of Kashmir through extra- judicial killings, rapes, torture, and draconian laws in Indian-occupied Kashmir. He reminded the audience that about the million plus armed forces of India, Pakistan, and China that are on the territory of Jammu & Kashmir, and that the “occupied people cannot be represented by the occupiers” or by the so-called locally elected representatives in Kashmir.American activist and President of Gendercide Project, Beverly Hill, said that she stood to “express her solidarity with people of Kashmir and to endorse their call for independence”. She noted that the “question is no longer whether Kashmir should accede to Pakistan or India, but how can Kashmir release itself from all powers to become an independent country”. The conference passed a resolution asking for the restoration of Kashmir’s sovereignty back to its people, withdrawal of military forces from all sides, reunification of the divided Kashmir, and recognition for the people of Kashmir as the primary party in any discussions and giving them a representative character on the world stage.
