Post annexation Regional and International Security between India and Pakistan

London, UK: Kashmir Campaign Global, London based international Kashmiri Organisation working towards a peaceful solution for Kashmir Issue held a webinar to mark the “International Day Of Peace” titled Kashmir: Post annexation Regional and International Security between India and Pakistan. Attendees included speakers from across the globe with PM Raja Farooq Haider being guest of honour. Zaffar Ahmad Quraishi, chairman Kashmir Campaign Global, from Indian Occupied Kashmir stressed that Kashmir is a burning issue between India, Pakistan and China. On this “International Day of Peace” people of Kashmir again demand a free implementation of United Nations Resolutions for Kashmir. No political activities are allowed in Indian occupied or administered Kashmir.

Quraishi said, as the situation in Kashmir worsens and security situation between Pakistan, India and China has deteriorated and turned complex. India has opened multiple fronts against Kashmir, Pakistan and China. Following the annexation of Kashmir on 5 August 2019, India has threatened to capture and annex Azad Kashmir. The Indian Home Minister also threatened China, and there is a situation of near-war between India and China. All talks so far have failed between China and India, and no disengagement has been possible. Indian media and power circles have not abated their calls to cut Pakistan to size.

In the conference PM Raja Farooq Haider, the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir emphasised All Parties Hurriyet Conference and Pakistan Government need to create a common agenda and move forward to executing the mutually agreed agenda.

Dr Imtiyaz, hailing from Indian Occupied Kashmir, stressed that Kashmiris have been living under occupation from 1947. Now they face a threat of extermination by the dissolution of their ethnicity. India is arming settlers, and it is time for Organisation of Islamic Countries to take a final stand on this issue.

Dr Rabia Akhtar, a world expert in security and nuclear weapons doctrine, emphasised that Kashmir Muslims in US and UK need to engage politically with Pakistan, especially with the Republican Party in the USA. She simplified the complexity of the issue in political terms. She highlighted that the Muslim demography of Kashmir would change in five years. Also, Indian actions of annexation is a permanent reality for Kashmiris, and it is unlikely it can be reversed.

Lord Nazir Ahmed emphasised that there is need to understand the supremacist political philosophy of BJP and RSS, the ruling party of India. He pointed out that an effective response is to put all options on the table. He pointed out that after the annexation of Kashmir, all previous agreements between India and Pakistan are not valid. Also, China is playing its own game, and there are limitations to China that need to be understood. He said Pakistan needs to add muscle to its policy and work with Government of Azad Kashmir to explore legal options against India. In the final analysis, he pointed out that the USA and other countries will not get involved in any major action.

Professor Halil Toker, an expert on Turkish and Pakistan relations gave an account of how rich Arab countries and India are creating problems by aligning with India. He pointed out that Kashmir has become a laboratory for Neo-fascism. The West looks at India as a land of business opportunity. He also pointed out that Turkish people will always support the sentiments of Kashmiri Muslims, and Turkey is fighting its war on extremism.

Dr Waleed Rasool expressed the view that we have failed to get UN resolution implemented as Pakistan has always been part of the Western security structure. Now the situation is different, the situation is hot on the Line of Control, CPEC is operational, and Hindutva in India is a reality. Dr Rasool stated the need to use these interdependencies to geopolitical advantage, as China for the first time is an active player in Kashmir dispute. India is in difficulty with Nepal and Bangladesh due to CPEC and Pakistan-China alliance. This creates fault lines that can be effectively used to exploit the Indian strategic space. India will kill and replace Kashmiris, and that cannot be allowed to happen. There is a need to activate the process of geopolitics and leverage it for Kashmiris.

To conclude, Zaffar Quraishi, acknowledged and appreciated the efforts and support of Pakistan at diplomatic, political and humanitarian levels. He stressed Pakistan must work towards a peaceful resolution of Kashmir but must also be prepared to use any means necessary to achieve the goal. There have been hundreds of rounds of bilateral talks and agreements between India-Kashmir and India-Pakistan, all of which have failed to yield a result of the parties. Kashmir requires all three parties to reach a peaceful solution.

The struggle for freedom will continue. The only peaceful solution to the issue of Kashmir is right of self-determination as promised by India, Pakistan and the United Nations.