To
observe the Kashmir Black Day, a seminar “Way Forward for Peace in South Asia”
was organised by the University of Queensland Pakistani Students Association,
in Brisbane, says a press release received from Canberra here today.
It was the first event of its kind in
Queensland in which senior parliamentarians from different parties including Australian
Federal Senator Claire Moore and Duncan Pegg, MP,
Professor of Political Science Nicole George, academics, scholars, teachers, students and
members of Pakistani community participated.
High Commissioner, Naela Chohan in her remarks
while thanking Queensland Pakistani Students
Association for
organizing the seminar, dilated upon the genesis of the Kashmir dispute, their
sacrifices for exercise of right to self-determination which was promised to
them by the United Nations. Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to give its
moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir, the High
Commissioner emphasized that the way forward was to firstly have an
international investigation into India’s crimes in occupied Kashmir;
establishment of UN Inquiry Commission to have an independent verification of
the nature and extent of human rights violations in Kashmir; to secure the
punishment of those responsible; and resumption of dialogue process between
India and Pakistan. The High Commissioner while thanking Senator Claire Moore
and Ducan Pegg MP for their remarks expressed the hope that, in the light of
the suggestions made, the Government of Australia would consider reviving its
due role in upholding the UN Security Council’s commitments to the people of
Kashmir, who are awaiting resolution through a fair and impartial plebiscite
under the UN auspices.
It was a very successful event in which
speakers expressed concern over the plight of the Kashmiri people and called
for an urgent action by the international community, in general and Australia
in particular, to ensure the implementation of the long pending UN Security
Council’s resolutions on Kashmir.
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