JKLF’s Diplomatic Bureau met with British Foreign and Commonwealth Office,-FCO- in London
Statement for Press & Media on the meeting with
the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office-FCO- officials by a delegation of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front’s diplomatic
Bureau:
London
- 26 February 2018:
A delegation of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation
Front-JKLF’s- Diplomatic Bureau, led by its head Prof Zafar Khan, met with British
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,-FCO- officials on 22 February, and discussed
at length the current situation in Jammu
Kashmir.
The delegation conveyed to the FCO a
message from JKLF’s Chairman Mr Yasin Malik, as well as the need for British Government’s
role in support of setting up of a Mediation Panel on Jammu Kashmir by the
Commonwealth family of nations, on the ongoing
serious situation on the ceasefire-line in Jammu Kashmir, and the oppression
within Indian Held Jammu Kashmir by Indian military and paramilitary forces; and
the need for demilitarisation of Indian and Pakistani forces in Jammu Kashmir
including along the ceasefire line-CFL- or the Line of Control-LoC.
While conveying Mr Yasin Malik’s message,
the delegation reminded the British government that the JKLF and the people of
Jammu Kashmir gave up militancy in 1994, and adopted a political and diplomatic
path towards resolving the issue of Kashmir’s future status at the behest of
Britain, and other western countries including the USA. However increasingly
the Indian government has become more belligerent and aggressively violent in
its suppression of Kashmiris’ individual and collective political, and human
rights over the years with a complete denial and deprivation of political
space. The JKLF delegation conveyed to the FCO officials that the Joint
resistance leadership-JRL- is restricted in its movements and political engagement
by the Indian authorities, and Mr Yasin Malik in particular, is consistently subjected
to incarceration through a revolving door policy by the Indian government since
2016. The delegation pointed out that the leadership is deliberately denied
contact and engagement with the people in Jammu Kashmir by the Indian
authorities in order to create mistrust and socio-political cleavages within the
diverse society of Jammu Kashmir.
The delegation called on the British
government to take a serious note of the growing frustration of the youth in
Jammu Kashmir at the systematic process of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and
harsh treatment meted out to families of individuals, in particular the young,
who take part in peaceful resistance. Through deliberate harassment,
intimidation and suppression of peaceful political expression, the Indian
authorities are forcing the youth to shun the political path. The delegation
reminded the British Foreign Office that, despite being confronted by an
extremely difficult, and stifling political climate created by the communalism
of the BJP/RSS nexus in Jammu Kashmir, the JRL is resisting India’s sinister
machinations against the popular struggle for freedom by sticking to peaceful
political methods of resistance.
The
delegation called on the British government to support the proposal by the JKLF
for setting up of a panel of Mediators at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting,-CHOGM- being hosted by Britain in April 2018. The head of
the delegation Prof Zafar Khan referred to the letters written in this regard
by the Diplomatic Bureau of the JKLF to Baroness Scotland, the Secretary General
of the Commonwealth, and Mrs Theresa May the UK Prime Minister, respectively on
the importance of the Commonwealth family of 52 nations, to play an active role
on Jammu Kashmir issue by setting up a panel of mediators, to engage with India,
Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership towards an equitable solution of the Jammu
Kashmir issue.
The delegation reminded the FCO that the
current situation on the CFL or the LoC was extremely serious due to daily
exchanges of fire by Indian and Pakistani armies with heavy weapons that cause
deaths of innocent Kashmiri civilians on both sides of the divide. Scores of
innocent men, women and children are being killed daily, particularly along the
Pakistan controlled side of the line where by and large, the CFL is heavily
populated with civilian settlements. It seems quite clear that the Indian army
deliberately targets the villagers in their homes and during their daily
activities. The delegation called on the British Government to support JKLF’s
demand for an immediate demilitarisation of the CFL with the withdrawal of
Indian and Pakistani forces by ten kilometres from their current positions, to ensure
safety of civilians, and protection of their livelihood. The delegation also
called upon the British government to support JKLF’s demand that the Indian military
and paramilitary forces return to their cantonments, and avoid contact with
civilian population, as these forces are responsible for deaths of innocent
civilians and destruction of their property on daily basis. The delegation
strongly reiterated the stance of the JKLF that armies of both India and Pakistan
must vacate Jammu Kashmir with active involvement of the international community,
and both countries must ensure an early transfer of power to 20 million people
of Jammu Kashmir as part of a permanent resolution of the Jammu Kashmir
conflict.
The head of the delegation Prof Zafar
Khan, accompanied by JKLF’senior leaders, including Mr Mahmoud Hussain, Syed
Tehsin Gilani and Mr Tariq Sharif, reminded the FCO officials, that British
policy on Jammu Kashmir was not appropriately consistent with Britain’s
international status and historic responsibilities. As permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council-UNSC-, and head of British Commonwealth, Britain could not justifiably
hide behind Indo- Pakistan bilateralism on Jammu Kashmir, as this position
amounted to support of Jammu Kashmir’s occupation and denial of the right of
Kashmiris to decide on their future status and political destiny.
The officials were reminded that Britain
enjoyed friendly relations with India and Pakistan, and has an important stake
in a peaceful South Asia. As nuclear powers Indo- Pak confrontation over Jammu
Kashmir is a serious threat to regional and international stability and human
progress. India and Pakistan have fought a number of wars against each other,
and have entrenched claims on Jammu Kashmir, and cannot be trusted to resolve
the conflict over Kashmir. And that the Kashmir issue can only be resolved
within the people centric context, and active involvement of influential
nations like the United Kingdom within the international community.
Thus, Britain has a duty to engage with
leaders of both India and Pakistan the delegation urged the British government
to do so for the sake of peace and prosperity of the sub-continent
and justice for twenty million people of Jammu Kashmir, during the forthcoming
CHOGM in April. The delegation reminded the FCO that up to a million strong British
Kashmiri diaspora was also unhappy with the indifferent attitude of the UK
government on Kashmir issue. The delegation reminded the FCO that Kashmiris
want Jammu Kashmir to become a bridge of peace and stability in the region but
will not accede to enforced division and oppression represented by the status quo.
Mahmoud Hussain
Secretary
Diplomatic Bureau of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
International Secretariat
119-123 Cannon Street Road, Basement North
London E1 2LX
Secretary
Diplomatic Bureau of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
International Secretariat
119-123 Cannon Street Road, Basement North
London E1 2LX
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