Special Envoys of the Prime Minister of Pakistan on
Jammu & Kashmir met with the Commons Foreign Affairs Select
Committee on 20 October 2016, at the British
Parliament. The Envoys apprised the Select Committee on the on-going
gross violations of the human rights and atrocities being committed in
the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
Senator Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum emphasized that the “status quo” in Kashmir
was now not an option. He called for non-discriminatory application of
the universal declaration of human rights for durable peace and
security. The ongoing conflict, he cautioned, could potentially impact
Pakistan’s efforts against terrorism, and would adversely affect
regional and global peace efforts.
Senator Qayyum further highlighted that in the globalised environment,
peace and war could not be compartmentalised. He said that if peace was
essential in Kabul, it was also essential in Srinagar. He added that
Kashmir was in fact most explosive global flash point since it is a bone
of contention between two nuclear powers like India and Pakistan, in
the proximity of two other nuclear powers China and Russia. He urged the
British Government to help resolve this dispute in the interest of
global peace.
Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh MNA underscored that the ongoing conflict on Kashmir
between the two neighbours had hampered progress and development in the
region. He highlighted the human rights dimension of the issue and
urged the UK government
and the parliamentarians to play an active role in halting human rights abuses in Kashmir.
Both Envoys also called for a fact-finding Mission either from the
United Nations or from the UK parliament, to visit both Indian and
Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Member of the British Parliament Yasmin Qureshi, who was chairing the
meeting, expressed deep concerns on the plight of the Kashmiri people.
The MP informed the Envoys that the Human Rights violations in Kashmir
were already on the
agenda of the Committee and she had personally asked the Committee to hold an
independent inquiry into the human rights abuses. She added that the Committee
members would call upon the UK government to act as a mediator in resolving the
dispute.
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