British parliamentarians including Lord Qurban Hussain, Lord Shaffaq Mohammed, Baroness Nosheena Mobarik, Mr. Adnan Hussain MP, Mr. Afzal Khan MP, and Mr. Ayoub Khan MP as well as a large number of British Kashmiris, civil society activists and media representatives attended the event.
In his keynote address, High Commissioner Tipu Usman condemned the reign of terror and brutal oppression unleashed by Indian occupation forces in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He noted that the people of IIOJK had been subjected to a severe and prolonged military siege, under which torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings had become rampant.
The High Commissioner emphasized that India’s actions violated both international law and basic morality, and threatened not only regional but global peace and security. He urged the international community to hold India accountable for violating the UN Security Council resolutions that guarantee the Kashmiri people their right to self-determination. High Commissioner Usman appreciated the role of British parliamentarians for raising the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in Parliament and with the British government. He reiterated the High Commission’s desire to work with the parliamentarians and the wider Kashmiri community for highlighting the Kashmir cause.
British parliamentarians and guest speakers, in their remarks, expressed their solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Members of Parliament emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir is not a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India, but a long standing international dispute. They urged the international community to call upon India to put an end to the systematic violations of human rights in IIOJK and abide by its international commitment of holding a free and fair plebiscite in the occupied territory.
