EU parliamentarian condemns Indian atrocities in Kashmir

Canadian rights activist terms disputed territory a potential flashpoint for nuclear war

MUZAFFARABAD: Member of European Parliament (MEP) and other delegates from the United Kingdom and Canada have unanimously supported the right of self-determination of Kashmiris, saying that the world should come forward to stop the sufferings of the Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK).

MEP Julie Ward, at a reception hosted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary leader in Azad Jammu and Kashmir assembly Abdul Majid Khan for the visiting dignitaries, said that the excesses against people in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) were the worst kinds of human rights violations.



Ward further said that the world community should help settle this dispute for the greater interest of the people of South Asia.

“The use of pellet guns in IOK against innocent youth and women highlights the violent image of India which should be condemned,” she said, adding that, “People of IoK are fighting for their basic rights and I assured them that every human being feels the pain of their sufferings.”

Commenting on moves by India to build dams on River Indus, the member of the European Parliament said that access to water is the fundamental right of every human being and if India blocks water for Pakistan, it would be considered as a violation of basic human rights.

“We would not only condemn it but also raise our voice against such moves from New Delhi in the European Union.”



Prominent Canadian human rights activist Ken Stone said that the use of pellet guns against Kashmiris was a crime against the humanity.

“The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is a looming threat to South Asian peace and security. World powers such as the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and the group of eight industrialised nations ought to come forward to exert pressure over India for the permanent settlement of Kashmir dispute as per the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Stone added.



The Canadian rights activist further said that Kashmir dispute could end up triggering a nuclear war between the two hostile neighbours of Pakistan and India at any moment.

Stone urged global human rights organisations and peace activists to come forward and play their role in Kashmir settlement.

Earlier, Khan said that Kashmiris had suffered a lot and urged the world community to come forward and help solve the problems.

Jammu and Kashmir Self-determination Movement Chairman Raja Najabat Hussain urged Kashmiri leaders to forge unity among their ranks. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2017.