The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Monday finalised its plan to effectively highlight the Kashmir issue on international level and express solidarity with innocent Kashmiris on the upcoming Kashmir Day to be held in London and other parts of the world including Pakistan.
Senator Mushahid Hussain chaired an important meeting of the committee at the Foreign Office in which proposals of the members of the committee were sought to vociferously highlight the miseries of Kashmiri people and to convey the global community that the issue of Kashmir needs immediate attention of those who call themselves the champions of human rights.
Committee chairman said that the people of Kashmir are being subjugated by the Indian army for demanding a respectable place in the comity of nations and the world should not turn a deaf ear to their rightful demands.
Mushahid Hussain further said that all political forces, institutions and nations stand in unison over the issue of Kashmir, resolution of Afghanistan imbroglio and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The committee demanded the resolution of Kashmir issue according to the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiris and the United Nations resolutions.
The chairman termed it a positive step of the Foreign Office to take the parliamentarians on board to effectively highlight the Kashmir issue in London on upcoming Kashmir Day.
A parliamentary delegation would also participate in different events in this regard.
Apprising the committee about the importance of the issue, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that this would be a unique opportunity to highlight Kashmir issue internationally and highlight the brutalities of the Indian army in Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK).
The foreign minister said that positive developments in recent past have helped in highlighting the issue at international level.
He referred to the visit of Turkey and Malaysia in which the issue of Kashmir was raised in the joint communiqué.
He also mentioned the UN Human Rights Committee report and the report of House of Commons in which the human rights violations of the people in IHK have been properly elaborated.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee will also have interaction with House of Lords and House of Commons besides leaders of Hurriyat Conference and Pakistani community.
The committee will also participate in an exhibition to be held in connection with highlighting the inhuman treatment of the people of IHK at the hands of the Indian army.
Members of the committee also give their recommendations to highlight the issue successfully.
The foreign minister informed the committee about the recent dialogue process to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
He said that Pakistan wants a political solution to the Afghan issue and it has been conveyed to America to review its policy towards Pakistan.
He said that it was not an easy task to bring both America and Afghanistan to resolve the issue through a meaningful dialogue.
He said that Pakistan wants peace in the region and will support all those initiative aimed at bringing peace at regional and global level.
He expressed his resolve and said that the government wants CPEC to succeed and the whole nation, political forces and institutions are on the same page.
The meeting was attended by Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi, Dr Asif Kirmani, Nuzhat Sadiq, Muhammad Asad Ali Khan Junejo, Rehman Malik, Sherry Rehman, Mian Muhammad Attique Sheikh,Sirajul Haq, Sitara Ayaz, Dr Shahzad Wasim and Leader of the House in Senate Senator Shibli Faraz besides Foreign Affairs Secretary Tehmina Janjua and senior officers of the ministry.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi invited all the political parties of parliament and Kashmiri leadership to attend seminar organised at House of Commons on February 4, 2019 and an exhibition regarding Kashmir on February 5 in London.
Published in Daily Times, January 29th 2019.
