UN institution of vested interests, wasted opportunities: Alvi

KARACHI: President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi Monday said New Delhi’s action of imposing months-long lockdown in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) resulted in the biggest humanitarian crisis, while the risk of escalation between Pakistan and India could intensify the crisis than ever before.

He was addressing an international seminar on human rights in the Indian Occupied Kashmir at the Centre for Peace, Security and Developmental Studies (CPSD). President Alvi said the actions of Indian government were aimed at changing the demographic composition of the occupied valley.

“The Indian government is not only against Kashmiris, but also against other minorities in India,” he said. Highlighting the national resolve over Kashmir, the president said Pakistan was committed to the Kashmir cause morally, ethically, and diplomatically.

He lamented that the UN had become an institution of vested interests and wasted opportunities where humanity and human rights violation were ignored for the sake of interests of big powers.

“Considering the inability of the UN, we should convince the world through effective media projection of Kashmiri’s plight and for that it is essential for the international media to get access to the real picture of the occupied Kashmir”.

British politician George Galloway said Kashmir was under illegal occupation of Indian forces and its tyranny against the Muslims of Kashmir was due to its own fear of Kashmiri freedom struggle and vigor for independence from the Indian occupation.

He said the people of Kashmir had the right to not only resist the occupation peacefully, but also use arms where necessary.

“Kashmir is not a bilateral issue but multilateral, as it involves Kashmiri people along with Pakistan and India”.

Galloway insisted that the world had the duty to play its role in the resolution of Kashmir conflict, as it involved two nuclear powers, who were a party to it.

He warned that eruption of a war between India and Pakistan could lead to catastrophic consequences for global peace.

British Lord Duncan McNair, Member Executive Committee of the Council for Human Rights and Religious Freedom David Ward, Amnesty International member Barrister Rashid Ahmed Member, Marcus C Thomlinson and international peace activist Raja Sheraz Akhtar condemned Indian atrocities and human rights violations and strongly supported the struggle of Kashmiris against the Indian occupation.

Federal Minister of State for SAFRON and Narcotics Shehryar Afridi stressed the need for a comprehensive and unified response at the national and international level for protection of human rights in Kashmir.

He also said Pakistan had been unfairly presented by the international media for many years and ‘our sacrifices and unparalleled support for humanitarian causes have been neglected’.

“Pakistan opened its arms to those who became victims of the Hindu extremism in 1947 and opened its borders to its Afghan brothers when their country was invaded,” he said.

Najmuddin Sheikh, former secretary foreign affairs, was of the view that states were currently more focused on economic benefits and least bothered about their moral duties.

He highlighted that there was a dichotomy of words and actions of the international community in relation to the Kashmir issue.

He said Germany showed concern over the human rights violations but concluded various agreements with India for sake of its economic benefits.

The CPSD chairman warned that the Kashmir crisis presented a grave danger not only to regional security, but also to global peace and prosperity and the international community must help deescalate this crisis, force India to reduce forces and hold plebiscite in the IOK.

CPSD Executive Director Syed Muhammad Ali, said that Kashmir represented the test of the changing world order that how the status quo and anti-status quo powers were going to fulfill their moral responsibilities or continue to pursue short term material interests that have led to the deadliest century in human history.

“We must collectively build a world that is safer and more secure for our future generations including Kashmiris and learn from the mistakes of our past generations”.

Ahsan Mukhtar Zubairi, Secretary General Foreign Relations Section of the CPSD, said Kashmir was an important issue that affected peace, prosperity and progress of over 1.5 billion people in this critical region.