Pakistan Embassy in US marks Black Day

Kashmir, Palestine share common roots, says envoy

WASHINGTON:

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Saeed Sheikh has said the issues of Kashmir and Palestine have a common genesis and that it is important for both the issues to be taken together, as they will reinforce each other.
"After the US election, there is a lot of expectation that the ongoing brutalities in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories will move toward a solution,” Sheikh said.
The ambassador was addressing a gathering of Kashmiri leaders, activists, and members of the Pakistani diaspora at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington to commemorate Kashmir Black Day.
“We believe this will happen. This would again be an opportunity to raise greater awareness about the issue and the need to address it," he added.
Messages from President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar were read on the occasion. Recalling various UN resolutions on the issue of Kashmir, Sheikh highlighted United Nations Security Council Resolution 122 which barred the parties to dispute from taking any unilateral action other than the prescribed solution of a UN-supervised plebiscite.
"History is on our side," said the ambassador, adding, "the historical record is an asset to us, and it needs to be referenced and upheld. Our job is to keep the flame alive, not to yield under the weight of global politics or economics," he said. He noted that since August 5, 2019 the Kashmir issue has increasingly become a legal battle.
Reiterating the need for unity, Ambassador Sheikh emphasized the importance of a coalition of relevant people in key capitals ensuring that their pronouncements are legally cogent and coherent. "The case is in our favor. It’s only a matter of the right timing in international politics and economics," he reiterated.
He also called upon the international community and human rights organizations to play their role in not only highlighting the plight of Kashmiris but also facilitating a solution to the long-standing issue.
World Kashmir Awareness Forum President Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai; All Neighbors International Director Ilyas Masih; Potomac Valley Church’s Pastor William Archer; former ICNA President Zahid Bukhari; and George Washington University’s Professor Dr Imtiaz Khan also spoke on the occasion, highlighting the Kashmiris' legitimate struggle for self-determination.
Video messages from Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed; US Council of Muslim Organizations (UCMO) Secretary General Oussama Jammal; Canada’s Durham University’s Professor Dr Farhan Chak as well as a special documentary on the struggle of the Kashmiri people were also presented.
Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh thanked the participants for their commitment and expression of solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.