Karachi, During a seminar at the European headquarters in Brussels speakers called on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities regarding the Kashmir dispute, emphasizing the need for pressure on India to respect the rights of Kashmiris facing long-term state terrorism.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the seminar, titled “Rights of the Kashmiris and Obligations of the International Community,” was organized by the Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU) at the European Press Club as part of the ongoing “Annual Kashmir EU-Week” in Brussels. The week-long event, which began this week, includes a photo exhibition on Kashmir and will continue until December 15. It also featured a seminar and debate on Kashmir at the European Parliament.
The event at the European Press Club, chaired by Ali Raza Syed, Chairman of Kashmir Council EU, featured various speakers including former Member of Brussels Assembly Dr. Manzoor Zahoor, human rights activist Arsalan Agha, and senior Kashmiri leaders Sardar Siddique and Chaudhry Khalid Joshi. European intellectuals Andre Barcs and Hafiz Uneeb Rashid also spoke, along with other notable personalities. Ahsan Untoo, Chairman of International Forum for Justice/Human Rights Jammu and Kashmir, addressed the seminar through a communication link from occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Speakers at the seminar highlighted that India has been suppressing Kashmiri rights for over seven decades, using various tactics to crush their right to self-determination. They pointed out that occupied Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the Kashmir valley, resembles a prison, with international human rights organizations and foreign journalists denied access. They also expressed concerns about India’s approval of new assembly constituencies in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which could politically marginalize the people of the Kashmir valley.
The seminar underscored the importance of effectively highlighting the Kashmiri freedom movement and advocating more strongly for their cause. Ali Raza Syed stressed that many Kashmiri leaders and human rights activists are currently imprisoned in Indian jails and called for the immediate release of these prisoners, including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Masarat Alam Butt, Khurram Parvez, Sajjad Gul, and Waqar Shah.
The speakers also condemned India’s long-term planning of illegal actions in Jammu and Kashmir and vowed to continue exposing India’s alleged human rights violations to the world. Ahsan Untoo, speaking from occupied Jammu and Kashmir, described the treatment of Kashmiri prisoners in Indian jails as immoral and cruel, highlighting the difficulties faced by these prisoners in accessing legal aid.
The seminar in Brussels serves as a platform to draw international attention to the ongoing Kashmir dispute and the need for global intervention to address the human rights situation in the region.