–Speakers condemn mass killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and use of sexual violence as an instrument of war by Indian forces in the occupied valley
ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar urged the world community to come forward and help find a political and diplomatic solution to the Kashmir dispute through the realisation of the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people, as lasting peace in the region was not possible without the resolution of the core issue.
The seminar titled ‘Kashmir issue and its Strategic Implications’ was organised by the Embassy of Pakistan in Jakarta at the University of Indonesia. Over 150 students, academics, researchers, professors and members of local intelligentsia attended the event, according to a press release.
Addressing on the occasion, Pakistan’s Ambassador in Indonesia Abdul Salik Khan informed the audience about the horrendous human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) characterized by mass killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and use of rape and sexual violence as an instrument of war by Indian security forces. He said that India was trampling upon the basic human rights in IOK unhindered and that the international community should take solid and meaningful steps to sort out the Kashmir conundrum.
The ambassador said that the Kashmir dispute remains one of the oldest items on the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) agenda, noting that relevant yet unimplemented resolutions grant Kashmiris the right to self-determination. He called on the international community to take concrete and meaningful action to alleviate the sufferings of the Kashmiri people while stressing the need for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. “As a party to the Kashmir dispute, this is the United Nations’ (UN) long-standing obligation,” he said.
The ambassador said the South Asian region needs peace to allow economic progress and socio-economic development for improving the quality of life of the citizens. “However, lasting peace can only be achieved through peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue,” he maintained.
Kashmir Solidarity Forum Indonesia Chairman Dr Zahir Khan said that the people of Kashmir were being victimised to quell their struggle for realisation of their legitimate right to self-determination. He underlined that the recent report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has also pointed out atrocities in the occupied valley.
He said that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of tension and instability in South Asia, adding that India’s aggressive designs have put regional peace at stake. He also condemned the use of pellet guns by Indian forces which has blinded thousands and killed hundreds of Kashmiris since the uprisings in the aftermath of the martyrdom of young Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani in July 2016. “Indian Army is using lethal weapons like pellet guns on peaceful protesters. Even women and children are not safe from Indian atrocities in the valley,” he lamented.
Replying to questions from university students and researchers, the speakers clarified certain doubts about the ground realities in the occupied valley as well as the strategic importance of the Kashmir dispute.
On the occasion, the University of Indonesia assured to include Kashmir issue as a research topic in the syllabus of the Strategic Studies Wing.
