|

Kashmir: challenge to the World Conscience: Dr. Fai

Articles, Uncategorised

Peoria, Illinois. August 18, 2014. “India cannot disentangle from her responsibility by just calling off the foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan must realize that the people of Kashmir must be the integral component of ongoing peace process as they are the primary stakeholders. The Kashmiri leadership should be included as it will facilitate permanent, durable and honorable settlement of Kashmir dispute. Both countries should understand that they cannot and must not try to resolve the Kashmir dispute by themselves. If they try without the the involvement of Kashmiri leadership, they will be performing Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark,” said Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of ‘World Kashmir Awareness’ while addressing a forum at Peoria Convention Center, Illinois entitled “Muslims Around the World Series” subtitle, “Kashmir: Challenge to the World Conscience.” The event was a part of the ICNA Midwest Convention.

The leadership of both India and Pakistan must recognize that there can be no settlement, negotiated or otherwise, without the active and full participation of the people of Jammu & Kashmir living on both sides of the Ceasefire Line, Fai added.

“There are certain characteristics of the situation in Kashmir, which distinguish it from all other deplorable human rights situations around the world. It prevails in what is recognized – under international law and by the U.N. – as a disputed territory.  According to the international agreements between India and Pakistan, negotiated by the United Nations and endorsed by the Security Council, the territory’s status is to be determined by the free vote of its people under U.N. supervision,” he stressed.

He added that it represents a Government’s repression not of a secessionist or separatist movement but of an uprising against foreign occupation, an occupation that was expected to end under determinations made by the United Nations.  The Kashmiris are not and cannot be called separatists because they cannot secede from a country to which they have never acceded to in the first place,”

Fai ruled out one thing about the resolution of Kashmir and that is doing nothing.  Because time, he said is not on the side of people of Kashmir.  Time has made the things worst.  It will never heal this problem of Kashmir.

He suggested the following agenda to help resolve the Kashmir problem:

(1).      The conflict over Kashmir cannot be resolved through military means. Kashmir issue is a political issue and has to be resolved through political means;

(2).      There has to be a cease-fire from all sides during negotiations.  Negotiations cannot be carried out at a time when parties are killing each other;

(3).      Talks must be tripartite between India, Pakistan and genuine leadership of the people of Kashmir;

(4).      There cannot be and should not be any condition from any party, other than commitment to non-violence and to negotiations;

(v).      Negotiations should be initiated simultaneously at four different levels, including:

(a).       an intra-Kashmir dialogue between the leadership of the Kashmiri political resistance, and the leadership of Azad Kashmir, Gilgat-Baltistan and the leadership of Pandits, Sikhs and Buddhists;

(b).      talks between the government of India and Pakistan;

(c).       talks between the Governments of India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership;

(d).      talks between India, Pakistan, Kashmir, China and the United States.

(vi).     There should be third party facilitation to make sure that the talks between India,  Pakistan and Kashmiri leadership remain focused.  Third party facilitator could be a person of an international standing, like Nobel Laureate, Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa or Dr. Kofi Annan of Ghana.

Dr. Fai can be reached at:  gnfai2003@yahoo.com   OR   1-202-607-6435

Similar Posts

  • |

    Why President Obama Ignores Human Rights in Kashmir

    Since the current uprising in Kashmir began with the killing of Burhan Wani on July 8, the unjustifiable and violent attack with bullets, birdshot from pump-action shotguns and extreme cane beatings by Indian military forces upon many of some 200,000 mourners who attended his funeral, who were in technical violation of a rigid curfew that was established by the police and armed forces, has provoked numerous demonstrations and violent clashes between residents. Demonstrations have occurred across the globe by non-resident Kashmiris and other human rights activists. The curfews and clashes have now been sustained for over five weeks, with limited or no access to the basic necessities of life, including food, power and fuel, and the protests have continued almost unabated, with injuries reaching close to 10,000, deaths over 85, and some 570 at last count left blinded, and many more maimed from what have been euphemistically called “pellet” wounds. While Kashmir has been under siege for many decades by the largest military occupation in the world, the recent uptick in what is nothing less than an effort to terrorize the population into submission and silence has been particularly brutal.

  • |

    Governor McAuliffe Kicks Off Pakistan Independence Day Festival in Washington, DC.

    September 1, 2015. We are proud of the achievements of the Pakistani Americans not only in Virginia but also in the United States. Pakistani culture is a beautiful culture, said Hon. Terri McAuliffe, Governor of the State of Virginia who was the Chief Guest to kick off Pakistani Independence day Festival at Fairfax, Virginia which was attended by several thousand people.

  • |

    Dr. Fai Addressed a Forum of Journalists in Washington

    WASHINGTON, D.C. June 27, 2012 (APP): Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory and has never been an integral part of India, a veteran Kashmiri leader said.

    “I want to debunk this myth created by India that Kashmir is an integral part of India —- this is a matter of historical record that India occupied the region on October 27, 1947 when the very first Indian soldier set foot on the soil of Kashmir —- the highest diplomatic forums including the United Nations and the United States have recognized the disputed nature of the region,” Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai told a forum of journalists in Springfield, Virginia.

    The Kashmiri-American activist said in the post-9/11 world, New Delhi has tried to weave a smokescreen with some unfounded myths, which seek to discredit the genuine struggle of the people. But these ploys will never be able to cover up the reality and sufferings of people in the Occupied Kashmir, he added.

  • |

    Kashmir: Restoring the Vision

    There is something very high schoolish and unsophisticated about the barbs and threats being traded between Pakistan and India, where fully grown men given the responsibility to manage nations shout at one another like two boys in a park squabbling over some Barbie Doll standing on the sidelines, who invariably has a look of disgust on her face. Think Kashmir. Yes, there have been two wars between the two over Kashmir, but too much is at stake. The statesmanship dictates that neither of these two countries should go to war, not nuclear war, because that might prove devastating to both countries. But they’ve got to beat their chests , behaving as though they’ve got something to prove.  
  • |

    Universal Development Agenda & Our Priorities

    The issue of ‘universal development agenda’ is the issue of the twenty-first century. Never before have so many suffered amidst liberty and luxury for the few. The wealth of single individuals exceeds the wealth of many nations. In highly developed countries, the number of persons living past 80 years is soaring. In deprived and convulsed countries, the average longevity is but half that age. While citizens of some African and Asian countries are starving, the rich countries are beset with obesity. Discrepancies of these types are morally disturbing. The United Nations is ideally suited to ending these shocking inequalities because it hosts all the nations of the world and endows each with identical voting power in the General Assembly. The poorest and the weakest are equal to the richest and the strongest.