Kashmiris need more & more friends & sympathizers at all levels: Ali Raza Syed

MIRPUR, June 25 (SABAH): Chairman Kashmir Council of Europe Ali Raza Syed has said that beside internal university, the Kashmiris need more and more friends and sympathizers at all levels.

Ali Raza Syed expressed these views while addressing a reception in his honor in city of Mirpur in Azad Kashmir. High Court Bar Association Azad Jammu and Kashmir organized a prestigious ceremony in honour of Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed for receiving a special award for his valuable services from Human Rights Council of Pakistan.

On the occasion of Ali Raza Syed’s arrival at the function, Secretary General of High Court Bar Association Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja Majid Ali Advocate and other personalities warmly welcomed him. Former President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court Syed Nishat Kazmi Advocate, Former Vice Chairman Azad Jammu and Kashmir Bar Council Raja Khalid Mehmood Khan Advocate, renowned scholar Professor Dr. Zubair Ahmad Qazi and Secretary General Supreme Court Bar Association Azad Jammu and Kashmir Haleem Azam Advocates were also present in the ceremony. Syed Raza Kazmi moderated the program.

Ali Raza Syed in his address at the event said that beside the internal unity, we need to do more struggle to make friends at all levels, especially the Kashmiri Diaspora has the responsibility to focus on gaining the sympathy and make Kashmir’s friends and supporters among other nations and countries. He said that there is a necessity to re-evaluate the global struggle of last 77 years regarding the Kashmir issue. Let us assess how far we have been able to garner world support for the Kashmir issue and the human rights of Kashmiris. Here the question arises whether we have been able to highlight the issue of Kashmir correctly and whether the world is fully aware of the issue of Kashmir and especially the violation of the rights of Kashmiris by India and the Indian oppression in Occupied Kashmir? Apart from Pakistan, is there any of our sympathetic and friendly country in the world?

Ali Raza Syed said that the Kashmir issue is a recognized international issue and there are resolutions of the United Nations Security Council regarding this issue but no significant progress has been made to solve the problem. India has not only illegally occupied a large part of Jammu and Kashmir for more than seven decades, but it is using all kinds of malicious tactics, including serious atrocities on Kashmiris to maintain this illicit occupation. Five years ago, India quickly defied international norms and rules by removing the special status of Jammu and Kashmir from its constitution for the same purpose, and also changed domicile laws to change the proportion of Kashmiris in the population. No country or nation could stop these illegal and illegitimate maneuvers of India.

India is committing extrajudicial killings of Kashmiris, Indian soldiers are involved in desecration of women and thousands of Kashmiris are forcibly disappeared. A number of Kashmiri figures and activists are illegally detained by the Indian authorities and the political leaders such as Shabbir Ahmad Shah and Yasin Malik and noted human rights activist Khurram Pervaz are among the prisoners. If we had sympathizers and friends in the world, we would have stopped India from these cruel actions. Although concerns are sometimes expressed against atrocities on the oppressed Kashmiris by some of the countries but no serious role is taken to condemn and stop these heinous acts.

At present, some countries and organizations of some countries have a very effective voice in the world, but these powers do nothing except verbal assurances on human rights violation in occupied Kashmir. Ali Raza Syed said that there is a dire need for unity and accord among Kashmiris for this purpose, especially Kashmiris living outside their homeland can play a very important role.

He also requested the government and the people of Azad Kashmir that since Azad Kashmir is the base camp of the freedom movement, it is important to solve the internal problems here with understanding and avoid any such measures causing probable damage to the freedom movement. He said that the people who were arrested during the recent protest against inflation should be released immediately, and the accepted demands of the protestors should be implemented without delay.

Chairman Kashmir Council Europe thanked the office bearers of High Court Bar Association of Jammu and Kashmir for organizing this event.  The host of the event, Raja Majid Ali Advocate, appreciated Ali Raza Syed’s struggle to highlight the Kashmir issue in Europe and congratulated him on receiving a special award from the Pakistan Human Rights Council. Other speakers of the gathering also praised efforts of Chairman Kashmir Council Europe Ali Raza Syed and his team for Kashmir cause in Europe.