Washington: A meeting of like-minded persons was held in Washington to discuss the latest situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to exchange ideas in order to finalize the date to observe solidarity with the oppressed people of the occupied territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in the meeting held at the residence of Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan, it was agreed upon that the peace protest to express solidarity with the people of IIOJK will take place on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the Embassy of India in Washington, DC.
Sardar Amjad Jalil, the Chairman Azad Jammu and Kashmir Board of Investments, was the guest of honor. He said that the people of Azad Kashmir, regardless of their political affiliations or ideology, have always stood by the oppressed people of IIOJK in their struggle for freedom from India and will never accept any solution for Kashmir other than the right to self-determination. He said the peaceful resolution of the longstanding Kashmir dispute will pave the way for economic development of both India and Pakistan who are spending billions of dollars on defense. Sardar Amjad maintained that the people of occupied Kashmir are giving unprecedented sacrifices and we cannot let these sacrifices go in vain under any circumstances.
Sardar Amjad Jalil while focusing on investments said Azad Kashmir is a trade-friendly and the best possible place for foreign investments. “It offers enormous opportunities for foreign investors in the areas of mines, minerals and tourism. Azad Kashmir has Sapphire, Tourmaline, Marble, Granite, Gold, Silver, Copper, and the world’s best Ruby, etc,” he added.
Sardar Amjad emphasized that Azad Kashmir tourism is known for gushing reivers, foliage rich meadows, snow-capped mountains, thick forests, Neelum Valley, Leepa Valley, Banjosa Lake, Sharda (cultural tourist place), mesmerizing Dudipatsar Lake, also known as White Pearl. These tourists’ places attract millions of people throughout the year.
Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman of World Forum for Peace and Justice, said our objective of the peaceful protest is to draw attention of the US to the situation in occupied Kashmir and to exert pressure on the government of India to resolve the Kashmir dispute and stop human right violations in the occupied territory.
Dr Fai emphasized that the BJP/RSS led Modi government has made Kashmir – the paradise on earth – a hell for its inhabitants. “We also know that a person no less important than Dr Gregory Stanton, Chairman of Genocide Watch, is on record to have said that Kashmir was at the brink of genocide. There is uncertainty, unpredictability, and anxiety of unknown in Kashmir. Thousands have been brutally killed or cling to life in hospitals, in jails, in secret torture cells. Time is not on the side of the people of Kashmir,” he said.
Dr Fai reiterated that the people of Kashmir do not wish anybody, including the US, to take a partisan side. He said Kashmiris are convinced, nevertheless, that impartial observers would support the Kashmir cause based on universal principles, democratic values, rule of law and international justice. “It is high time that all concerned parties – India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership – sit together and chalk out a strategy for the sake of peace and stability in the region of South Asia. Because ultimately, the negotiations, not violence, is the only way to resolve the Kashmir conflict, and that Kashmiris cannot be excluded from the negotiating table if a peace process is to be serious, meaningful and result oriented,” he added.
Sardar Zarif Khan, Advisor to the President of Azad Kashmir, thanked the participants for their willingness to be the part of the organizing committee and urged everybody to attend the peaceful protest along with their families and friends. The Modi administration is using all available military might to suppress the peaceful political resistance movement of Kashmir, he deplored.
Shoaib Irshad, Secretary General of Kashmiri American Welfare Association (KAWA) said the people of Indian occupied Kashmir have rendered unprecedented sacrifices, and our responsibility is not to let them down. He said, “Our message to the people of Kashmir is to continue the peaceful struggle, don’t compromise on your basic principle of self-determination and freedom will be ours! InSha’Allah!”
Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan, the host of the meeting, said the atrocities committed by the Indian occupation army in Kashmir are continuing in an unabated manner. Unfortunately, India has felt no pressure whatsoever from the world powers to desist from its genocidal campaign, he added.
Maqsood Chugtai said the people of Azad Kashmir have the genuine love and affection for the people of Indian occupied Kashmir who have given enormous sacrifices, and our responsibility is to listen to the cries of the innocent people coming from the occupied territory.