Brussels – An international conference on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was held at the European Press Club in Brussels, which attracted a mixed palette of diplomats, political leaders, scholars, and human rights advocates.
The event titled “Jammu and Kashmir in the Current International Political Scenario” was a high-level forum to discuss the long-standing conflict and call on the international community to assume a more proactive role towards resolution.
The talks focused on the deplorable human rights conditions in the region and the need to fulfil international commitments of self-determination.
Remarks of Governor KP
Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi, who attended the event as the Chief Guest, spoke in a keynote address on the dire need to settle the Kashmir dispute to put an end to the instabilities that had plagued South Asia. He added that the Kashmir dispute cannot be resolved without the implementation of the United Nations pledges to grant the right of self-determination to Kashmiris to have sustainable peace in South Asia.
The Governor also used the opportunity to reassert the unwavering support of Pakistan towards the Kashmiri people, who, he said, “will continue to receive Pakistan’s political, diplomatic and moral support until freedom is realized and India withdraws its occupation forces.”
In addition to the conference, Governor Kundi also informed the participants about his meetings with senior European officials, during which he raised the sharp climate-related losses Pakistan has recently experienced.
Other Voices in Support of Kashmiri Rights
At the conference, the Ambassador of Pakistan to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union, Rahim Hayat Qureshi, echoed Islamabad in its consistent and long-standing position on Kashmir. He promised the audience that Pakistan remains committed to the diplomatic and moral fight of the Kashmiri people in their pursuit of justice.
Chairman of the Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU), Ali Raza Syed, also spoke up on the persistence of human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Syed said the international community should bring effective pressure on India to stop what he termed a campaign of oppression against the local population.
The speakers included senior Kashmiri leader Sardar Sadiq, Faseeh Shah, Dr. Zahoor Manzoor, Councilor Muhammad Nasir, Asad Nawaz of the UK Peoples Party, Sardar Amina Khan, and Mustafa Khan. The session was skillfully moderated by Chaudhry Imran Saqib
The collective voice of the participants was strong, and the culmination was an appeal to the global community and specifically the European Union to play a stronger and more decisive role. They called upon these bodies to seek a fair and amicable solution to the Kashmir dispute that is in complete compliance with the applicable UN Security Council resolutions.
Book Presentation
One of the highlights of the event was the book presentation of a Belgian journalist, Cedric Gerbehaye, titled “Kashmir: Wait and See”. The book has interesting photography and narratives of the region and was handed over to Governor Faisal Kundi and Ambassador Qureshi. Chairman Ali Raza Syed also hinted that the book will be officially launched on September 5 at an international book fair in Paris, opening and expanding the discussion of the Kashmir issue to a wider audience.
The conference ended with a strengthened sense of purpose, an understanding of the ongoing commitment of different stakeholders to keep the Kashmir issue on the global radar, and to continue to pressure towards a resolution based on international law and human rights.
