‘Take Kashmir to the world’: Leaders urge global push at Islamabad seminar
Islamabad: Kashmiri groups and political leaders on Monday observed India’s Republic Day as a “Black Day,” holding a seminar in Islamabad to highlight the political and human rights situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The seminar was jointly organised by the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR), Friends of Kashmir International and the Parliamentary Kashmir Committee at the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS).
Speakers at the event said the observance was meant to draw international attention to what they described as ongoing rights violations in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to renew calls for a resolution of the decades-old dispute in line with United Nations resolutions.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Kashmir Committee Rana Qasim Noon said the Kashmir issue remained unresolved despite international commitments, adding that sustained global engagement was needed to address the concerns of the Kashmiri people.
Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister Sardar Atiq Ahmed Khan said Kashmiris rejected India’s sovereignty claims over the region, while calling for stronger diplomatic efforts to highlight the situation at international forums.
Former AJK president and PML-N leader Shah Ghulam Qadir and All Parties Hurriyat Conference representative Muhammad Farooq Rehmani also addressed the gathering, urging the international community to take notice of developments in the disputed region.
KIIR Chairman Altaf Hussain Wani said the seminar aimed to “amplify the Kashmiri voice” and counter what he termed attempts to normalise the situation in the region.
Senator Mushahid Hussain said the Kashmir dispute should be raised at major global platforms, including what he described as former US president Donald Trump’s proposed peace initiatives, arguing that the issue had implications for regional and international stability.
National Assembly member Sher Afzal Marwat said the Kashmir dispute would remain a source of instability unless addressed through dialogue and the will of the Kashmiri people.
The event was also addressed by Abdul Hameed Alone and other political figures.
India observes Republic Day annually on January 26 to mark the adoption of its constitution. New Delhi maintains that Kashmir is an integral part of India, a position Pakistan rejects, calling for a plebiscite under UN supervision.
