Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Faisal Saleh Hayat has urged Britain to play as an effective role as it can, in a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. He was speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour by member of Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly for overseas Pakistanis in the UK Chaudhry Mohammad Khan here on Wednesday.
Besides others it was attended by many British MPs, including NP and chairperson of All Party Kashmir Group in the House of Commons Lorna Fitzsimons, MP Mohammad Sarwar, MP Khalid Mehmood, Lord Nazir Ahmed, MP Paul Goodman, MP Gerald Howarth Ahmed, Muslim Conference (MC) President Mehmood Riaz, members Kashmir Council Sardar Muhammad Sawar, Ghulam Raza Shah Naqvi, Chaudhry Khurshid Ahmed, Senior VP MC Raja Mohammad Ayub and AJK Prime Minister Political Co-ordinator Raja Najabat Hussain.
Faisal said Pakistan expected Britain and British parliamentarians to continue playing its role on Kashmir. London should pressurise all parties particularly India "to match the pro-active policy" being pursued by Islamabad for a just and negotiated solution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with wishes of Kashmiris.
If London can play a role in the Palestinian issue to resolve the Middle East crisis which is a welcome step. But Pakistan certainly would expect Britain to take requisite steps for alleviating sufferings of Kashmiris in Indian occupied Kashmir and help take current dialogue between Pakistan and India to its logical conclusion.
He urged world's major powers and British MPs to make every effort not to allow this opportunity slip away as one billion plus people in South Asia wanted peace and development, a goal possible only by finding a settlement of the Kashmir issue.
Kashmir is not a territorial issue rather it concerned the 15 million people of Kashmir who demand their rights based on the principles of international law.
Pakistan has taken many confidence building measures (CBMs) for creating propitious atmosphere for a settlement of the issue. India did respond to some of them positively, he said, but overall the pace of progress over the issue is slow which was causing disappointment among many people.
"We have not given up hope, we are optimistic, hence Pakistan had initiated many CBMs to push forward the peace process," he said.
These steps put an additional pressure on India to work towards a "formula where we can achieve a durable peace," by a negotiated solution of the Kashmir issue.
Kashmiris were the main party and major stakeholders on the issue and any progress on Kashmir has to come about with the consent of the people of Kashmir, he said.
Faisal said Pakistan had proposed four different steps to India during visit to Islamabad of India Minister for External Affairs Natwar Singh last month for achieving affective progress on the issue. One keeps on hearing rhetoric from India but it has to show it is genuinely interested to solve the issue, he added.
The human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir continued to occur, he said, adding now Indian baseless and wild accusations that Pakistan was stoking insurgency in occupied Kashmir had proved wrong because it was an indigenous movement.
Referring to the report by a Committee of the European Parliament after its visit to Indian occupied Kashmir he said its report was an eye opener for the international community which equated the situation there with a prison.
Faisal called upon British Kashmiris to invest in power sector and use current investment-friendly climate to their advantage.
Speaking on the occasion chairperson All Party Kashmir Group in the House of Commons MP Lorna Fitzsimons said the cross-party group would do all in its power to highlight Kashmir issue and help find its just solution.
Referring to the current conditions in Indian occupied Kashmir, she said, "people can not be free, living in a militarised zone. It is unacceptable."
Fitzsimons said the Group would work to ensure that all British parties had a policy on the Kashmiri right to self-determination. Currently only Labour Party had a policy on the issue because it passed a resolution on Kashmir during a party conference in 1995, which supported Kashmiris right to self- determination.
She said efforts should be made to stop human rights abuses in Indian held Kashmir and added there could not be free and fair elections unless such violations were stopped. She urged India to allow Amnesty International and other human rights organisations to visit IHK.
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