AJK president thanks UK, EU MPs for supporting Kashmir cause

Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has expressed deep gratitude to the British and European parliamentarians for their abiding and steadfast cross-party support to the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and protection of their basic human rights.

“At this crucial hour, we need their voice and outreach to their respective governments, the United Nations and relevant multilateral institutions to build pressure on India to stop forthwith the massive transfer of its population to the disputed Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) in violation of the 4th Geneva Convention and customary international law,” he said while addressing a convention organised by an international Kashmir lobby group, TehreeK-e- Kashmir Europe through a video link on Monday.

The event, coincided with the Kashmir Martyrs Day, was attended by representatives of Tehreek-e- Kashmir from UK, Denmark, Scotland, Norway, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland.

Addressing as the chief guest of the event, the AJK president described New Domicile Rules, modelled on the last century’s Nuremberg Laws by the Nazi Party as a war crime.

He acknowledged the efforts of the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir and hundreds of European Parliamentarians, who had tabled half a dozen resolutions in March this year that had demanded an UN-led resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

“We would continue to rely on their goodwill, parliamentary networking and diplomatic skills to seek justice for the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Khan said. He also cherished the role of Kashmiri diaspora in the United Kingdom and Europe for highlighting atrocities being committed by India in the disputed territory.

Appreciating the Threek-e- Kashmir’s efforts in highlighting the plight of Kashmiris, President Masood said the group led by Muhammad Ghalib and Raja Faheem Kiyani is doing a remarkable job for raising awareness about the Kashmir dispute and atrocities being committed by the Indian occupation forces across Europe.

“It is a matter of great satisfaction that members of diaspora community are now quite active from Europe to America. However, there is a need to further familiarise our younger generation residing abroad about our history, about the sacrifices rendered by our forefathers and the genesis of Kashmir issue,” he said.

The AJK president said due to untiring efforts of Tehreek-e- Kashmir UK, more than 50 British MPs participated in a conference on Kashmir in February this year in the British parliament, where both Conservatives and Labour lawmakers jointly supported Kashmiris’ right to self-determination movement and condemned the lockdown in the disputed valley.

Masood Khan also thanked Tehreek Kashmir’s leadership for holding a special event to mark the Martyrs Day. He expressed his optimism that Tehreek Kashmir and other community organisation’s outreach to British and European Parliaments would muster required support for the besieged people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier in his welcome address, Tehreek Kashmir UK President Muhammad Ghalib highly appreciated President Masood’s matchless efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue at global level and providing dynamic leadership to the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.