International Parliamentary Seminar on Kashmir was held in Islamabad on 5-6 January to discuss the prevailing oppression and aggression in IHK. The seminar, organised by the National Assembly’s Young Parliamentarians Forum, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The forum was attended over 400 delegates, which included legislators as well as experts from the European Parliament, UK, Canada and North America. The participants from Canada, the UK, EU, and Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan carried a detailed resolution on the second day of the conference and called on India to cease forthwith all human rights violations against and stop bloodshed of the people of Jammu and Kashmir; and urged India to allow UN/Independent investigations into the human rights situation, to establish responsibility and determine appropriate punishment for the perpetrators of such crimes that are against International Humanitarian Law and international Human Rights Law.
Noting India’s blatant violation of UNSC Resolutions on Kashmir, UN Charter and International Humanitarian Laws the resolution referred to the offer of the United Nations Secretary General to help resolve the long-festering problem of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue. It also reminded India of the repeated pledges made by its leaders to allow them to decide their future through a plebiscite. The resolution referred to the statements by Prime Minister Nehru in October 1947 and 1951, in which he stated that “We (India) have declared that the fate of Kashmir is ultimately to be decided by the people. That pledge we have given only to the people of Kashmir but to the world. We will not and cannot back out of it. We are prepared when peace and order have been established to have a referendum held under the auspices of the UN.”
It also called on India to withdraw all its troops including Armed Constabulary from Jammu and Kashmir, particularly from cities, towns and villages to enable resumption of normal life and create enabling environment for the plebiscite to be held under the auspices of the UN as enshrined in the UNSC resolutions on Kashmir. The participants urged the United Nations to assume its responsibility of organizing the plebiscite under its supervision, and also urged the OIC Secretary General to compile a report on human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir and urge constant monitoring of the human rights situation by the IPHRC. It also urged UN and other relevant forums to investigate all massacres, gang-rapes, fake-encounters, forced disappearances, willful blinding using pellet guns, etc, committed by the Indian forces and Hindu terrorist organisations such as RSS, and bring the perpetrators to book.
Citizens on both sides of the border in Kashmir and the world over observed the right to self-determination day on Thursday. Historically, the UN Security Council had passed a resolution on January 5, 1949 recognising the fundamental human rights of the people of Kashmir. The resolution also promised to grant them the right to self-determination through an independent and transparent plebiscite. All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leaders in Indian held Kashmir (IHK) said in their statements that it was an important day in the history of Kashmir. They said that the time had come for India to respect and implement the UN resolutions on Kashmir and resolve the dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people. In Azad Kashmir and Pakistan, different political, social and religious organisations held various programs, seminars and rallies to draw the world’s attention towards finding a solution to the issue.
