‘See Kashmir through humanitarian angle’

Islamabad : Former diplomat Riffat Masood has said that there is need to viewing Kashmir from a humanitarian lens first and Pakistan should build a strong economic foundation to be able to present Kashmir issue more effectively in the global arena.

Ms Masood was addressing a Round Table on “Commemorating Kashmiris’ right to Self-Determination Day” by Institute of Strategic Studies here Wednesday.

Nasir Qadri, a Human Rights lawyer from IIOJK who also heads the Legal Forum for Kashmir opined that Kashmiris deserve the right to self-determination. He said that we are losing the ground and losing the case and Pakistan has to recognise the Kashmir liberation movement.

Dr. Sameera Imran from National Defence University said that the idea of freedom is only based on consent. Men are born free and the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination is linked with idea of freedom, she said adding that Pakistan has both historical and philosophical reasons to support the Kashmiris.

Midhat Shahzad, Secretary of Tourism, Information and IT, Azad Kashmir, pointed to the fact that even Article 1 of the Simla Agreement clearly maintains that the UN Charter shall be instrumental in governing the relations between the two states. Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, Convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference said India was desperately trying to mislead the world by insisting that the UN resolutions on Kashmir stand invalid.

The UN resolutions on Kashmir still stand valid and the presence of the United Nations Military Observer Group in both countries is evidence of it.