Los Angeles, California. March 12, 2010. “It is an undeniable act that the past 63 years have proven that bilateral India-Pakistan negotiations to resolve Kashmir conflict are simply charades that achieve nothing but more strife and horror stories in Kashmir. A new negotiating formula is thus urgently required both in the name of international peace, security and human rights. The element that has been missing in efforts towards a settlement is the political representation of Kashmiris on the negotiating table along with India and Pakistan”, said Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Executive Director, Kashmiri American Council/Kashmir Center during a lecture at the Moore Hall of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The PSA and MSA of UCLA organized the event in conjunction with COPAA. Saad Ahmed, President of PSA - UCLA welcomed the guests. Junayd Banday and Majid But, had put together a very moving video about the abuses of human rights and the plight of Kashmiris.
Fai elaborated that India commits massive human rights violations in order to suppress a popular movement for self-determination. But it has been met with studied unconcern by the United States. This has given a sense of total impunity to India. It has also created the impression that the United States is selective about the application of the principles of human rights and democracy. There is a glaring contrast between the outcry over the massacre in Tiananmen Square, on the one side, and the official silence over the killing and maiming of a vastly greater number of civilians in Kashmir and the systematic violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Dr. Fai quoted Prof. Sumantra Bose of London School of Economics who said, “Any notion that the Kashmir conflict has been successfully put in cold-storage has been exposed as a delusion during the summer of 2008. The lesson: Frozen conflicts don't stay frozen, and windows of opportunity to make real progress towards solutions don't come often. Stalling on such opportunities can be perilous.” Fai emphasized that the deeper understanding of the United States with both India and Pakistan will make the peace process purposeful that will be instrumental in bring peace and stability to the region of South Asia.
Ms. Victoria Schofield, an eminent write, author and independent analyst from England said what distinguishes the Kashmir conflict from other regional disputes is that, in 1948 Indian Government made a formal complaint to the Security Council of the United Nations in order to have a ceasefire. The complaint against Pakistan in an international forum turned a dispute between two countries into an issue which demands international attention.
Ms. Schofield said that the recommendations of the United Nations also formalized the presence of the third party into the debate: the wishes of the people of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. She further added that all the resolutions of the United Nations recommended that both India and Pakistan proceed with holding a plebiscite so that the people themselves could decide their future.
Dr. Khalid Ejaz, Consul General said that the issue of Kashmir is one of the oldest issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. The United Nations has passed resolutions that have given the people of Jammu & Kashmir the right to decide their future. He said that no solution would be acceptable to Pakistan unless the negotiations include the Kashmiri leadership.
Dr. Ejaz highlighted that the presence of 700,000 Indian military and paramilitary forces has made Kashmir virtually the hell for its inhabitants. He said that the United States has a moral responsibility to come to the rescue of the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr. Adnan Khan, the President of COOPA said that the peace loving people of the world need to be persuaded to plead the case of Kashmir. He told the audience that Kashmir is not a border dispute but an international conflict that demands just and fair settlement to the satisfaction of all patties concerned. Mr. Khan appreciated the participation of the students and their eagerness to undertake programs such as this one.
Following the lecture, dinner was served which was sponsored by COPAA.
Fai elaborated that India commits massive human rights violations in order to suppress a popular movement for self-determination. But it has been met with studied unconcern by the United States. This has given a sense of total impunity to India. It has also created the impression that the United States is selective about the application of the principles of human rights and democracy. There is a glaring contrast between the outcry over the massacre in Tiananmen Square, on the one side, and the official silence over the killing and maiming of a vastly greater number of civilians in Kashmir and the systematic violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Dr. Fai quoted Prof. Sumantra Bose of London School of Economics who said, “Any notion that the Kashmir conflict has been successfully put in cold-storage has been exposed as a delusion during the summer of 2008. The lesson: Frozen conflicts don't stay frozen, and windows of opportunity to make real progress towards solutions don't come often. Stalling on such opportunities can be perilous.” Fai emphasized that the deeper understanding of the United States with both India and Pakistan will make the peace process purposeful that will be instrumental in bring peace and stability to the region of South Asia.
Ms. Victoria Schofield, an eminent write, author and independent analyst from England said what distinguishes the Kashmir conflict from other regional disputes is that, in 1948 Indian Government made a formal complaint to the Security Council of the United Nations in order to have a ceasefire. The complaint against Pakistan in an international forum turned a dispute between two countries into an issue which demands international attention.
Ms. Schofield said that the recommendations of the United Nations also formalized the presence of the third party into the debate: the wishes of the people of the state of Jammu & Kashmir. She further added that all the resolutions of the United Nations recommended that both India and Pakistan proceed with holding a plebiscite so that the people themselves could decide their future.
Dr. Khalid Ejaz, Consul General said that the issue of Kashmir is one of the oldest issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. The United Nations has passed resolutions that have given the people of Jammu & Kashmir the right to decide their future. He said that no solution would be acceptable to Pakistan unless the negotiations include the Kashmiri leadership.
Dr. Ejaz highlighted that the presence of 700,000 Indian military and paramilitary forces has made Kashmir virtually the hell for its inhabitants. He said that the United States has a moral responsibility to come to the rescue of the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr. Adnan Khan, the President of COOPA said that the peace loving people of the world need to be persuaded to plead the case of Kashmir. He told the audience that Kashmir is not a border dispute but an international conflict that demands just and fair settlement to the satisfaction of all patties concerned. Mr. Khan appreciated the participation of the students and their eagerness to undertake programs such as this one.
Following the lecture, dinner was served which was sponsored by COPAA.
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