Mirpur, AJK & Washington: Kashmiris in the US will meet in Washington DC on Sunday to hold a peaceful protest in Washington to express solidarity with the people of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
The rally is aimed at drawing global attention to the worsening human rights situation in Kashmir.
Sardar Amjad Jalil, Chairman, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Board of Investment, was the guest of honour. He said that the people of Azad Jammu Kashmir, irrespective of their political affiliation or ideology, have always stood by Kashmir in their endeavours. They will never accept any solution for Kashmir other than the right to self-determination, said a message received here.
Targeting investment, Sardar Amjad Jalil said that Azad Jammu and Kashmir is business friendly and the best possible place for foreign investment. It offers huge opportunities for foreign investors in the areas of mines, minerals, tourism.
Azad Kashmir has sapphire, tourmaline, marble, granite, gold, silver, copper and the best ruby in the world etc.
Sardar Amjad highlighted that tourism Azad Kashmir is famous for gushing reivers, meadows rich in leaves, snowy mountains, dense forests, Neelum valley, Leepa valley, Banjosa lake, Sharda (cultural tourist spot), enchanting Dudipatsar lake also known as White Pearl . These tourist spots attract millions of people throughout the year.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, president of the World Forum for Peace and Justice, said that our goal of the peaceful protest is to draw the attention of the United States to the situation in Kashmir and to put pressure on the Indian government to resolve the dispute and help stop human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
Dr. Fai pointed out that Modi’s BJP/RSS-led government has made Kashmir – a paradise on earth – a hell for its people. We also know that a person no less important than Dr. Gregory Stanton, head of the Genocide Monitor, is on record as saying that Kashmir is on the brink of genocide. Insecurity, unpredictability and fear of the unknown reign in Kashmir.
Thousands of people have been brutally killed or are clinging to life in hospitals, in prisons, in secret torture cells. Time is not on the side of the people of Kashmir. Dr. Fai reiterated that the people of Kashmir do not want anyone, including the United States, to side with the guerrillas.
However, Kashmiris are confident that impartial observers would support the cause of Kashmir based on universal principles, democratic values, rule of law and international justice. It is high time that all the stakeholders – India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership – sit together and chalk out a strategy for peace and stability in the South Asian region.
Ultimately, the only way to resolve the Kashmir conflict is through negotiation, not violence, and Kashmiris cannot be excluded from the negotiating table if the peace process is to be serious, meaningful and result-oriented.
Sardar Zarif Khan, Adviser to the President of Azad Kashmir, thanked the participants for their willingness to be part of the organizing committee and urged everyone to participate in the peaceful protest along with their families and friends. The Modi administration is using all available military force to suppress the peaceful political resistance movement in Kashmir, Sardar Zarif added.
Shoaib Irshad, Secretary General, Kashmir American Welfare Association (KAWA), said that the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir are the worst affected at the hands of the Indian occupation forces. He urged world leaders to take immediate notice and act to save the Kashmiri population. Staff Reporter and APP
