ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The National Assembly of Pakistan has called an International Conference on Kashmir issue in Islamabad on October 13-14, 2016 to highlight the human rights abuse in Kashmir and generate international support for freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people, the Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said on Wednesday.
In a meeting with the President Azad Jammu & Kashmir Masood Khan at Parliament House in Islamabad on Wednesday, the speaker said that he has sent letters to the Speakers of 196 Parliaments around of World to highlight the rampant, unending and gross human rights abuse in Indian Occupied Kashmir and to garner diplomatic and political support for the freedom struggle of Kashmiri people.
Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that said that the International Conference on Kashmir issue will be attended by members of Parliaments, Civil Society, Media and intellectuals from across the world.
The speaker said that Kashmir issue is the core priority of Pakistan’s Parliament and there is a unanimous consensus across the political parties in the Parliament, and added that Kashmir issue is the oldest dispute awaiting in the United Nations Security Council agenda.
The national assembly speaker remarked that the forceful occupation of Kashmir was against the modern norms of nation state and people’s basic right to self-determination – the right to form government as per people’s aspirations free from foreign interference. He remarked that brutality, gross human rights abuse and oppression will never suppress the aspiration for freedom and right to self-determination.
Pakistan would continue to extend its unwavering moral, political and diplomatic support to the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for their unalienable right of self-determination, as enshrined in the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions,” he said.
The speaker highlighted that Pakistan’s support for Kashmir cause has received a new impetus during the tenure of the current government.
Appreciating the decision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to send Parliamentarians as envoys to garner diplomatic support for Kashmir cause, he remarked that Parliamentary diplomacy will awaken the conscience of the international community to take notice of barbarity and oppression of the Kashmiri people by world’s so called largest democracy.
Ayaz Sadiq outlined that peace in the region is unthinkable when India continued to deny Kashmir’s their inherent right to self-determination and when their peaceful demonstrations were met with Indian high-handedness. He added that ‘oppression on unarmed protesters cannot kill their aspiration for freedom and a peaceful future’.
Referring to Pakistan’s principled stance on Kashmir, the speaker remarked that he pulled back Pakistan from hosting 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference as its chosen President when India agitated for extending invitation to Assembly of Indian Occupied Kashmir.
The speaker said the Parliament of Pakistan could not issue an invitation to the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir Assembly to attend the International Conference, as it would have been in violation of the UN Security Council Resolutions.
The National Assembly Speaker highlighted that Pakistan’s principled stance on Kashmir was more important than hosting Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. He outlined that Kashmir issue is highlighted in every meeting of Parliamentary Friendship Groups and visits of Parliamentary delegations.
In his remarks, the President of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Masood Khan highly appreciated the endeavors of the Parliament of Pakistan in taking up the Kashmir issue at various bilateral and multilateral forums.
Masood Khan said that the role of Parliamentary diplomacy is central to supporting the Kashmir cause. He expressed confidence in efforts of the Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to prioritize Kashmir issue at international forums.
