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Kashmir issue: Int’l community, deaf, dumb, cruel: Kasuri
Kashmir issue: Int’l community, deaf, dumb, cruel: Kasuri


LAHORE: (Tuesday, October 25, 2016): Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has said international community is deaf, dumb and cruel and we must not pin high hopes on international community since it resolves only those issues in which it is interested. However, he said, we should keep appealing international community and make effective diplomatic efforts for resolution of Kashmir issue. He was addressing a seminar on “Pakistan-India Relations and the Kashmir Dispute” organized by Punjab University’s Pakistan Study Centre at Al Raazi Hall here on Tuesday. PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Professor Emeritus Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi, Prof Dr Piotr Balcerowicz from Warsaw, Poland, Former Ambassador Javaid Hussain, Director Pakistan Study Centre Prof Dr Massarrat Abid, Journalist from Indian occupied Kashmir Mr Murtaza Shibli, faculty members and a large number of students were present on the occasion.

Addressing the seminar, Mr. Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri was of the view that Indian media is obsessed with enmity of Pakistan and between two countries, nine war or near-war situations have erupted historically. He said that Pakistan could not ignore Kashmir at any cost because of social, cultural affinities. He further said that Pakistan did not change its principled stance on Kashmir. He said that Kashmiris did not want to be part of India and without the resolution of this dispute; peace and friendship would not be possible. He also suggested that institutional decision making would help the government build consensus at the national level and present Pakistani and Kashmiris case at the international level on equal footing. He rejected that notion of Pakistan's isolation at international level referring to stance of Russia and China on Uri attack. He said that after nuclearization of South Asia, war is not a viable option to resolve the problem, so both India and Pakistan should use proactive diplomacy, carve out a framework to provide an acceptable resolution.

PU Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mujahid Kamran, in his address stressed the need for vibrant diplomacy to assert Pakistan's principle stand on Kashmir. He mentioned that Indian government had allocated $300 million to sabotage CPEC and to create instability in Pakistan. He said India had aimed at spreading terrorism, malign Pakistani security forces and buying politicians and media persons. He said that Premier Modi was denied US visa since the United States had got evidence of his involvement in killings of Muslims in Gujrat. Prof. Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi highlighted various dimensions of the Kashmir problem that are relevant to international politics. He argued that stability in South Asia hinges on a peaceful solution of the Kashmir problem to the full satisfaction of the people of Kashmir. “It is not a dispute on a piece of territory. It is a question of human rights and human dignity of the people of Kashmir and their right to decide about their political future, as laid down in the 1948-49 resolutions of the United States,” he said. He maintained that Pakistan must engage in comprehensive and continuous diplomacy at the global level for exposing the atrocities of India in Kashmir and that Pakistan must seek international support for the right of self determination for the people of Kashmir and work towards evolving a peaceful solution of the Kashmir problem. Expressing his views, Prof. Balcerowicz said that all five UN Security Council resolutions between 1948 and 1957 (nos. 47, 51, 80, 91m 122) and both UN Commission for India and Pakistan resolutions of 1948 and 1949, mention three conditions to settle the Kashmir dispute, the former being a precondition for the latter: the full withdrawal from the State of J&K of all outside tribesmen and Pakistani troops, the withdrawal of most Indian troops, and the Plebiscite. “None of these conditions have been met. In addition, UN emphasized that convening of a Constituent Assembly and its subsequent actions cannot determine the future of Jammu and Kashmir. All that means that the presence of any forces other than native Kashmiris in all Jammu and Kashmir and any non-Kashmiri administration there in is problematic in terms of international law,” he said, adding to maintain tensions, violence and the legal limbo of Jammu and Kashmir territories seems in the interest of different elites on both sides. He said that a precondition for a resolution of the Kashmir dispute was a reshuffle in power structures in both states so that political gains and justification of power did not hinge on the existence of the conflict. He said the ideal way forward for both states would be towards the South Asian Union along the lines of the European Union with common laws and markets, which could help build a secure and prosperous future of Pakistan and India. Speaking on the occasion, former ambassador Javaid Husain said that the main cause for the continued tensions and strains in Pakistan-India relations was the pursuit of hegemony by India in South Asia and unresolved disputes, particularly the Kashmir dispute. He said although the long-term prospects of Pakistan-India relations are bleak, it is incumbent upon the two countries to try to defuse tensions, resolve outstanding disputes, and engage in mutually beneficial cooperation in view of the imperative of peace because of their status as de facto nuclear-weapon states. Mr. Murtaza Shibli, journalist from Indian occupied Kashmir, also expressed his views regarding the indigenous nature of freedom movement in Kashmir. He highlighted the role of Kashmiri youth in advancing the movement and role of Muzaffar Wani in igniting the sentiments of Kashmiri population. He also pointed out the brutalities of non-state actors of India in the Indian occupied Kashmir involved in atrocities against the Muslim population. He reaffirmed the conviction of Kashmiris that India would not succeed in suppressing the movement and overwhelmed affiliation with Pakistan. He said that continuous support of China on Kashmir Dispute was vital for the cause of Kashmir. He further said that Syed Ali Gillani enjoyed support of masses for his principal stance on Kashmir. He suggested that China should be part of the dialogue on Kashmir. In her welcome note, Prof. Dr. Massarrat Abid, Director, Pakistan Study Centre highlighted the importance of Pakistan's relations with India and said that Quaid-e-Azam wished Pakistan and India to have good neighborly relations. She said but after partition some conflicts including the one over Kashmir increased the hostility between the two countries. She said that UN tried a number of times to find an acceptable solution but failed mostly because India refused. She said that the international community and UN need to play a role to settle the Kashmir dispute. The resolution of the dispute has become most important due to resistance movement launched by the people of Indian occupied Kashmir. Kashmiris are being killed, tortured, blinded and persecuted in their own land, which is equal to genocide. Later, a question answer session was held in which participants participated enthusiastically.