|

Six-Point Agenda To Resolve Kashmir Crisis: Dr. Fai

Articles, Uncategorised

San Francisco. March 29, 2014. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of “World Kashmir Awareness” has announced a six point agenda to set a stage for the resolution of Kashmir issue. He was addressing a well represented seminar entitled “Kashmir: A reminder to the American policy makers,” here at Fremont, California. The event was sponsored by the American Muslim Alliance and Pakistani American Democratic Forum which are headed by a well-known political scientist, Dr. Agha Saeed. Mr. Mike Gravel, former member of the U.S Senate, Mr. Naeem Baig, President of Islamic Circle of North America and Dr. Hatem Bazian – a prominent Arab American leader spoke on the event.

Dr. Fai while expounding on his 6 points suggested that,

(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;

(5). 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 minority groups in Kashmir;
(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.

(6). 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 or Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway or Ms. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner on Human Rights.

Dr. Fai who was the key-note speaker added that there have been various round of talks between India and Pakistan, including the Summit between Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mian Nawaz Sharif in New York in September 2013. These talks, Fai emphasized, are taking place because there is a deeper engagement of the United States with both New Delhi and Islamabad. There is also a realization that the time has come both countries need to address all the issues including the issue of Kashmir.

Fai further elaborated that the people of Kashmir support the talks between India and Pakistan. Because these talks have opened the doors of understanding and mutual respect between these two neighboring countries. It has also created an atmosphere of reconciliation and normalization. But talks, Fai warned, without any defined parameters and the talks which are not time bond and result oriented are not going to lead us anywhere. If there is no break through in the thought processes, if there is no change in the mindset, then talks between India and Pakistan even if at the summit level will not guarantee peace in the region of South Asia.

Dr. Fai said that the sentiments of people of Kashmir are for Azadi. He quoted a survey which was conducted by monthly Outlook and was released by UNI on November 5, 2004 and the survey said that 78 per cent of the people of Kashmir want Azadi. Dr. Fai quoted another survey which was conducted by Hindustan Times and CNN-IBN and NDTV on August 12, 2008. According to this survey, 87% people of Kashmir preferred Azadi for Kashmir. He added that London-based Chattam House had another survey in Kashmir which was released by BBC on May 27, 2010. According to this survey 90 to 95 per cent of the people of the Valley want Azadi. Such a nation where the sentiments of Azadi are on the increase cannot remain subjugated for ever, Fai alerted.

Fai concluded by reminding President Obama to listen to Candidate Obama who said on October 30, 2008 that “We should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis.”

Former Senator Mike Gravel of the United States Senate said, I am an American and I love my country. There are many beautiful things about this country but I am terribly embraced by the miscarriage of justice in the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, Dr. Sami Al-Arian and now Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai. The only way to fix this problem is to fight back and help restore America’s original promise.

Dr. Hatem Bazian said, there is willful attack on Muslim leadership and institutions in the United States and Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai’s case is a latest example. This simply tells us that Dr. Fai was doing something great for the cause he loves the most and for his people. We appreciate the courage and leadership of our brother Dr. Fai.

Mr. Naeem Baig, President of Islamic Circle of North America said the victims should not feel weak. They will have to stand up but it is our responsibility to help them to materialize their dream. I have been witnessing the work of Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai for the last twenty years The way he has projected the cause of Kashmir in this country is exemplary. We are here to work with him to bring peace and justice to the region of Kashmir.

Similar Posts

  • |

    Bad for Business: India’s White Elephant Kashmir – Part 1

    It is nothing less than astounding that intelligent men who are charged with the responsibility of leading a country cannot comprehend that spending billions of dollars to maintain possession of a very small disputed territory to its north with millions of troops at the expense of their own national quality of life makes any sense at all. While millions of Indians don’t even have a toilet (As Prime Minister Modi said, “My real thought is to first have toilets and then temples”)and live in squalor in cardboard shelters, the government feeds off their meager incomes in order to possess and control a nation that itself is kept in a dire state economically and cannot possibly pay any return on such an investment.
  • |

    Why do Kashmiris Observe August 15th as Black Day

    The people of Jammu & Kashmir on both sides of the Cease-fire line and worldwide observed the 69th anniversary of India’s Independence Day as a black day because of India’s failure to honor its pledges that  it has given to the people of Jammu & Kashmir at the United Nations. This year, the All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC) had summoned all Kashmiris all over the world to demonstrate on August 15th, as a symbol of their unity and harmony. Their unity in mourning demonstrated their will to resist India’s illegal occupation and defiance of the United Nations Security Council resolutions mandating a self-determination plebiscite for the 18 million people of Jammu & Kashmir.
  • |

    Kashmiri Wishes Must be Respected: Sardar Qayyum Niazi

    Washington, D.C. April 11, 2015. “Kashmir is the longest running dispute on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. The cause of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is sacred and the people of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan will never let the people of Kashmir down,” this was stated by Sardar Qayyum Niazi, former minister of Azad Kashmir and the chief guest of the occasion that was attended by friends of Kashmir. Mr. Niazi said that India and Pakistan must accept the solution of the dispute according to the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir. He quoted Daniel S. Markey of Council of Foreign Relatiosn who said “There is little doubt that normalized relations between India and Pakistan, including a regionally acceptable settlement on Kashmir, would offer tremendous benefits to the United States.”

  • |

    Kashmir Dispute: Legacy of Great Britain: Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhary

    Springfield, Virginia. May 9 2015. “The United States Administration should persuade both India and Pakistan to settle the Kashmir conflict through tripartite and purposeful dialogue.” This was stated by the former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader, Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, while addressing a public gathering in Washington, D.C. He emphasized that  Kashmir  is the flash point between the two nuclear countries of India and Pakistan which deserves the attention of the world powers.

  • |

    Kashmir: Where the Truth Doesn’t Matter

    NPR’s Julie McCarthy was in Kashmir earlier in September and reported on how different the unrest seems now compared to previous years. “First of all, there’s this unprecedented kind of force being used. There’s these high-velocity pellet shotguns for crowd control. And it’s left thousands of people riddled with pellet injuries. And a lot of them have damaged eyesight. And some demonstrators have thrown stones, attacked police stations and government buildings. And, unusually, this started in rural areas. And it has spread throughout the Kashmir Valley. And it’s lasted over 60 days. That’s also unusual.”

    Perhaps it’s not enough to point out that the champion of this latest uprising, a person who was slain in a fashion frequently called “extrajudicial” by others in the press, and whose killing was the primary provocation for the current uprising, was a self-declared militant who had used social media to resist the Indian occupation. He was someone who had become a symbol of the true spirit of resistance in the hearts of all Kashmiris.

  • |

    Sardar Qayyum Khan was a Synonym for courage and Prudence: Dr. Fai

    Washington, D.C. July 12, 2015. Dr. Fai expressed condolences on the demise of Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Sahib, former Prime Minister and former President of Azad Kashmir who breathed his last at the age of 91 on Friday July 10, 2015 at his residence in Islamabad. Inna Lillah-e-Wa- Inna Ilahi Rajioon. May Allah (s.w.t.) elevate his status as the guided person, comfort him in his grave, make his grave part of Jannatul Firdous and give Sabr to the family! Ameen.