International Kashmir conference on Peace, Human Rights & Counter Terrorism

Birmingham: Renowned Human Rights activists, thinkers, lawyers, journalists, authors, progressive political leaders with a forward-looking approach, assembled in Birmingham, England to discuss possibility of peace and human rights in the forcibly divided State of Jammu and Kashmir and formulate appropriate strategies to counter threats to peace and human rights. It was hosted by United Kashmir Peoples National Party with the coalition of Church of Scientology Birmingham. The honourable delegates asserted that terrorism and proxy war must stop as that adds to human suffering and tramples human rights. Also terrorism can lead to war, instability and endangers peace in the region. They opposed the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, as it is not an economic corridor for the welfare of the people of Gilgit Baltistan or even for the betterment of people of Pakistan. They expressed serious concerns about continuous practices of enforced disappearances, extra-juridical killings and torture by the state intelligence agencies and law enforcement forces. The puppet government of the Pakistani occupied Jammu and Kashmir is a silent spectator, and is not doing anything to protect people. We demand that the international community should intervene in this matter and must ask the UN Human rights Commission to investigate the cases of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture. Urge the elected representatives of the people and the Supreme Judicial Commission that they must ensure the freedom and independence of the judiciary, which to a large extent, is still subservient to the state apparatus; rather than being an independent institution. The judiciary must initiate the reforms including the overhauling of the criminal justice system. Also, we demand a repeal to the 21st amendment of the Constitution regarding supra-constitutional powers given to the judiciary for appointing Judges. The keynote speakers were Chairman United Kashmir Peoples National Party (UKPNP) Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, Dr Lakhu Lohana, Shahid Khan, Masrur Sabzwari, Doris Jones, Akber Ali Malik, Mr Qaeim Khani, Dr. Shabbir Ch and others. Also present were Former Councillor and Chairman Kashmir Freedom Movement Ghulam Hussain, Sultan Shaheen, Baseer Naveed, Barrister Abdul Hamid Bashani, Shun Fujiki, Syed Ghulam Shah, Mr Dianko Lamine, Sardar Amjad Yousaf, Sardar Tariq Khan, Mohammed Saeed Khan, Fahmeeda Baloch, Qamar Khalil, Shahid Mahmood Khan, Sardar Farooq Khan, Irfan Yaqoob, Raziq Shafique, Yasir Anwar Khan, M Junaid Kayani, Jamil Latif, Sardar Tahir Khan, Jabbar Alam and many others. Report by S M IRFAN TAHIR Photojournalist / Member National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Great Britain.