No peace in South Asia without resolution of Kashmir dispute: UK MP
London: Member of Parliament in United Kingdom James Frith has said that peace cannot be established in South Asia until the Kashmir dispute is resolved, nor can friendly relations develop between India and Pakistan.
According to Kashmir Media Service, James Frith, while welcoming the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, stressed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir must be granted their right to self-determination as promised under the United Nations resolutions. He called for the immediate holding of a plebiscite in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and urged that leadership from both sides of the divided territory be given the opportunity to make a consensus-based decision regarding the region’s future.
Frith announced that he would be organizing a conference on the Kashmir issue in the British Parliament in mid-July. He further said that along with like-minded MPs, he would press the UK government and the Foreign Secretary to intervene directly and urge both Pakistan and India to engage in a trilateral dialogue aimed at reaching a lasting and peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute.
He emphasized that resolving this long-standing issue is vital for more than one million Kashmiris residing in the UK who remain deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of their families back home. A peaceful resolution, he said, would allow them to contribute fully to the political, economic, and social progress of the United Kingdom.
On the occasion, Raja Najabat Hussain, Founder Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Self-Determination Movement International, thanked both Members of Parliament from Bury, the local public, councillors, and all pro-Kashmir MPs and representatives from North England who have played a pivotal role in highlighting the Kashmir cause.
He also expressed gratitude to members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, including Barrister Imran Hussain (Chairman), Debbie Abrahams, Tahir Ali, Afzal Khan, Mohammad Yasin, Sarah Owen, Richard Hopkins, Sarah Smith, Ibtisam Mohammed, Naz Shah, and others, for their strong representation of the Kashmiri people in the UK Parliament.
Raja Najabat Hussain expressed hope that these MPs, along with the British government, will play an effective role in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. He said that following the recent de-escalation between Pakistan and India, the international community has an opportunity to fulfill the longstanding demand of the Kashmiri people and resolve the Kashmir issue in accordance with their aspirations and the relevant UN resolutions.
Councillors, former mayors, deputy mayors, and other local leaders from the Bury constituency, including Shaheena Haroon Raja and Taimoor Tariq, were also present on the occasion.
