Former ISI chief stresses need for Pakistan to stick to its principled stance, lobby for placing pressure on India for resolution of Kashmir dispute
A two-day international conference on “Kashmir: Challenges and Prospects” was organised by think tank MUSLIM Institute.
The conference’s aim was to draw the attention of the international community to the gravity of situation in Kashmir for reaching a practical and lasting settlement of the seven-decade old dispute.
It was addressed by numerous Pakistani and international luminaries and experts on issues of global politics and international relations, said a news release issued Friday.
Addressing the concluding session as chief guest, leader of the house in Senate, Raja Zafar ul Haq ensured to personally take the recommendations reached by the conference and the issues deliberated by the experts to the prime minister as well as before the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs for proposing further action and debate.
Leader of the Kashmiri liberation movement, Syed Ali Gillani also made a telephonic address saying that the Kashmir issue goes to the heart of Pakistani identity as an Islamic state and the homeland of Muslims in South Asia. He stressed that Pakistan must not settle for negotiations until it is in a position of strength to back its principled stance in the face of Indian aggression.
Prominent Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq also addressed the conference by a video link, stating that the fate of 16 million people depended on the outcome of the Kashmir dispute.
The dispute cannot be bilateral by definition as the Kashmiri people themselves are the most important stakeholders in the issue. “We are committed to a peaceful struggle for our rights,” he remarked.
Turkish parliamentarian Mughisuddin stated that India is a status quo power and is not bothered to change the current situation. It has tried to take advantage of the global war on terrorism for labelling the Kashmir dispute as terrorism. She stressed that the Muslim world must stand together and shoulder to shoulder to ensure that the fate of their disputes is no dictated by others.
Former ISI chief General Hameed Gul stressed the need for Pakistan to stick to its principled stance at all international forums and actively lobby for placing pressure on India for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
The conference concluded with a set of recommendations presented by MUSLIM Institute Chairman Sultan Ahmad Ali based on the deliberations over the course of the five sessions of the conference. He said the international community must also play its part to ensure that the issue is resolved to deliver the recognized right of self determination of the Kashmiri people. He added that the credibility of international institution is on the line due to their continued failure to play an effective part in the issue.