British MPs want rights abuses in held Kashmir to end

LONDON: British parliamentarians expressed complete solidarity with oppressed Kashmiris and demanded an immediate end to human rights abuses by Indian occupation forces, in a webinar with High Commissioner Nafees Zakaria, a press release said on Thursday.

At a Virtual Parliamentary Seminar on Kashmir on Wednesday, Zakaria said the ultimate objective of India is to alter the demography of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which it has been illegally occupying against the wishes of Kashmiri nation, in contravention of Geneva Convention IV and also UNSC Resolutions on Kashmir. Others who spoke on the occasion included Lord Qurban Hussain, MPs Liam Byrne, Afzal Khan, Naz Shah, Muhammad Yasin and Tahir Ali. John Howarth, former MEP, spoke on his own behalf and on behalf of his colleagues. Debbie Abrahams MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir (APPKG), and many others participated with their statements expressing support for Kashmiris and conveying their anguish at the blatant human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir. Raja Najabat Hussain, Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Self Determination Movement International (JKSDMI) also participated in the webinar.

The MPs were of the opinion that demographic change in IOJK is a glaring violation of international laws and would further deprive the Kashmiris of their land and opportunities.

The parliamentarians said Indian action of August 5, 2019 took the Kashmir dispute out of bilateral space and hence international intervention is required. The time for talking about it as a bilateral issue is over and, therefore, there is a need to drop the idea of bilateralism, they added.

The speakers said that the characterisation of the issue as a bilateral dispute and the language being used around it need to be changed to pave way for just and sustainable peace in Kashmir. Kashmir dispute can neither be resolved bilaterally nor through military means; hence, the international community must step in, they said.

They said that multilateral institutions like UN, EU and human rights organisations should come forward to end the sufferings of the Kashmiri people. They undertook to continue raising the voice at appropriate forums including the British parliament and with the government.

The speakers emphasised that any trade and economic cooperation with India should be contingent upon its respect for human rights in Kashmir. They also noted that the UK media needs to focus more on Kashmir in view of the ongoing pandemic and human rights abuses by Indian occupation forces. The speakers said every Kashmiri life matters and the world needs to protect their lives and civil liberties.