|

Observance of October 27th as Day of Occupation in Kashmir

Cumberland, Maryland. October 27, 2012. “The international community must intervene on humanitarian grounds to ease the suffering of the innocent and unarmed Kashmiri population. The suffering and abuses are so pervasive as to extend beyond those directly affected. The pattern of abuses reaches every man, woman and child in the Valley of Kashmir. The people live under the constant threat of the abuses. The prevalence of military personnel and bunkers serve as a constant reminder to Kashmiris of the potential for them to fall victim to such a horrible occurrences,” this was stated by Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai from Cumberland Prison Camp in Maryland, USA. Fai warned that India may be the largest democracy but its policies in Kashmir has been uniformly brutal and deceitful.

Fai quoted the New York Times column of July 8, 2012 which appeared on page 4 that says, “Had the graves been found under Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s compound in Libya or in the rubble of Home in Syria, there surely would have been an uproar. But when over 2,000 skeletons appear in the conflict-ridden (Kashmir) backyard of the world’s largest democracy, no one bats the eye. While the west proselytizes democracy and respect for human rights, sometimes going so far as to cheerlead cavalier military interventions to remove repressive regimes, how can it reconcile its humanitarianism with such brazen disregard for the right to life in Kashmir? Have we come to accept that there are different benchmarks for justice in democracies and autocracies? Are mass graves unearthed in democratic India less offensive?”

Commenting on the Observance of the Kashmiri Day of Occupation, Dr. Fai said that the issue of Kashmir became international the day an alien Indian soldier set foot on the soil of Kashmir on October 27, 1947. Fai reiterated that the people of Kashmir demand what has been agreed upon at the United Nations Security Council with the consent of both India and Pakistan that they will be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination to decide the future of their land, i.e., whether they want to join India or Pakistan or remain independent.

Fai said that it is symptomatic of the approach of the world powers that the greater emphasis is placed on the “reduction of tensions” than on the settlement of the core issue, i.e., Kashmir. This gives importance to superficial moves and temporary solutions even though it is known that such moves and solutions do not soften the animosities of the parties, nor allay the life and death concerns and anxieties of the people most directly affected.

Fai emphasized that the rational approach to set a stage for a settlement of the Kashmir dispute is to include the accredited leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir in all future negotiations with India and Pakistan. Any Kashmir solution that fails to command the consensus of the 17 million people of the State of Jammu & Kashmir is doomed to shipwreck moments after its launch.

Dr. Fai can be reached at:

Syed Fai
78764-083
FCI- Cumberland
Prison Camp
P. O. Box 1000
Cumberland, Maryland – 21501, USA

Similar Posts

  • |

    Kashmir Event Held in Washington, D.C.

    Washington, D.C. February 15, 2104. “Our efforts should be to persuade the world community including the United States to urge both India and Pakistan to include the leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir in the negotiations to peacefully resolve the dispute over Kashmir. When we talk of Kashmir, we talk of the sentiments and enormous sacrifices made by the Kashmiri people during the past 67 years for a cause dear to all inhabitants, be they Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists. It is time that both India and Pakistan realize that until the Kashmiri leadership is included in the peace process, these negotiations between India and Pakistan may not lead them to any logical conclusion,” said Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai at a seminar, held at Holiday Inn Hotel and organized by Kashmir Form, Washington, D.C.

  • |

    Ufa: Another Opportunity Lost

    One thing is very clear. The statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif representing some kind of agreement at the Russian city of Ufa on July 10, 2015 seems on its face to be conspicuously duplicitous. One wonders if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had some subordinate prepare it, trusting him to convey the intent, but never actually read what was published before it was published.

    Here’s the thing. There are two distinct parts to the Ufa agreement as it is explicitly written. First, It is prefaced with the general policy statement:

    They agreed that India and Pakistan have a collective responsibility to ensure peace and promote development. To do so, they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues.
    Both leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and agreed to cooperate with each other to eliminate this menace from South Asia.

    “they are prepared to discuss all outstanding issues.”

  • |

    Thank you

    November 29, 2013

     
    Dear all,
     
    I am thankful to Allah (s.w.t.) for an early release from the Federal Prison Camp in Cumberland, Maryland. Upon receiving the order from Judge O’Grady, the prison authorities gave me just 10 minutes to pack my belongings and to leave from the premises of the Federal Prison Camp. I am pleased to be home with my family and friends since Friday, November 22, 2013.
     
    At the beginning, the notion of imprisonment weighed very heavily on my conscience. I was mindful that some of my friends wanted to know the conditions I was living in. The conditions at the Camp in Cumberland were propitious and the avenues available were favorable to all the inmates.
  • |

    Kashmir Beyond Platitudes: The Responsibility to Protect

    Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream / I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been / To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen / They talk of days for which they sit and wait and all will be revealed….  –lyrics by Jimmy Page from the song Kashmir, performed by Led Zeppelin

    Why, after 67 years of dispute, is the question of Kashmir, land of the “gentle race,” still lurking in the shadows of international relations, still unresolved, despite its seemingly relative unimportance to global interests in matters of resources and international trade?

  • Fresh thinking is needed to cut the Gordian knot in Kashmir

    The best way to solve any problem is to remove its cause.” Dr. Martin Luther King

    The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) in Kashmir has shown willingness to talk provided the Government of India clarifies the parameters of talks.

    In an interview with The Indian Express, (June 5, 2018) Dineshwar Sharma, the Chief Interlocutor said, “When I talk to the younger generation there (Kashmir), often they confront me with so many questions and even talk about Azaadi… Any rational discussion will be possible when we are able to first address the sentiment of the people…” In this interview, Mr. Sharma has made it clear that the sentiments of the people of Kashmir are for Azaadi.

  • |

    Kashmir: Trouble in Paradise

    So much for Ban Ki-moon’s heart and possibly even more so his soul. One can only recall the quote in Matthew and the betrayal of Jesus, “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”

    The United Nations has walked away from the slaughter in Kashmir and washed its hands of it, and the world body has told India, “it’s your problem. See to that yourselves.” Even the U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby has deferred all inquiries about the “killing fields” of Kashmir to the Indian government, the very source of all the bloodshed. That’s like referring the problem of foxes in the henhouse to Chief Minister Fox.