Abrar Lone (Rising Kashmir)
Srinagar, August 13: India seized Kashmir under a grand conspiracy and the accession with India was not permanent which is what Kashmiris are contending, pro freedom leaders, social activists, advocates and senior citizens concluded Thursday in a seminar on “Self Determination—Truth, Challenges and Role of Kashmiris”.

“It was a conspiracy against the Kashmiri nation. What India calls an accession is in fact a deceit played against Kashmiris by Jawaharlal Nehru,” Convener of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Amanullah Khan Group, S M Afzal said during his speech.

Afzal said there was nothing like accession and the instrument of accession produced was a fake paper meant to take control of the State.

The seminar started with a discussion followed by question answer session with the panel that included civil society activist, Dr Mubarak, veteran social activist Anwar Ashai, Advocate Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Mirvaiz South Kashmir, Qazi Yasir, Educationist Habibullah Wani, Islamic Students League (ISL) Chairman Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi, Vice President JKCCS Zahir-ud-din, Retired Prof Nazir Ahmad Koul, Muslim Khawateen Markaz Chairperson, Advocate Zamrooda Habib, trade union member M A Raja, Advocate Mohammad Amin and social activist Dr Zaffar.

On August 13 which is being observed as Kashmiri Peoples Right of Self-determination Day, Afzal said that Kashmiris are yet to be given the choice of which country they want to accede “and on this day we want to send across the world this message that we are serious in our demands.”
“More than 62 years have passed and we are still pleading for a resolution,” he said.

Reminding that Kashmir accession to India was a temporary decision since the then PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru promised self determination to Kashmiris, Advocate Amin said, “The only solution is what we were promised six decades back. Kashmiris have the right to be asked about their opinion whether to choose India or Pakistan.”

Linking peace to right to self determination, he said, all the princely states were given right to self determination but out of them only Jammu and Kashmir was unfortunate.

The panel members said that the then Maharaja was reluctant to accede to any of the two nations and on October 27, 1947 army landed at the Srinagar Airport.

“And soon after the landing they started showing what they actually came for,” they said.

Muslim Khawateen Markaz leader, Zamrooda Habib said that “our struggle is based on the right to self determination.”

“We have to remind India about the promise it made to us. And according to the United Nations, we can choose anything between India and Pakistan,” she added.

Other options which Kashmiris can opt for were also debated and discussed in the seminar.
Qazi Yasir, another activist said that free will is misunderstood to most Kashmiris. “It is not only India or Pakistan. It can be a free Kashmir as well,” the activist said.

Meanwhile eminent journalist, Zahir-u-din disagreed to observe August 13 as ‘Kashmir day’ saying that , poet of the east, Allama Iqbal had insisted to observe August 14 as the ‘Kashmir day’.

He further said, “Kashmiris can forgive India for 10,000 enforced disappearances, 12000 custodial killings and over one lakh killings but they will never forgive her for 7000 rapes. The truth is that India is an aggressor and it has to vacate our state.”

The seminar also saw some pro-freedom leaders’ bashing by the angry participants.

Among the audience, a local resident, Yasin Shah argued that the repression will not end until pro freedom leaders adopt themselves to the living standards of a common Kashmiri. “We are suffering because we had materialistic leadership,” he said.

Another speaker said that India has applied “confusion therapy” on Kashmiris by propagating multiple options of conflict resolution.

“Just three decades back Kashmiris had single opinion of right to self determination to fight over. But now multiple opinions have been deliberately created,” he said.

“Even last year,” Mohammad Amin, a trade union activist said, “our leaders presented almost 55 different resolutions at the UN office in Sonawar. Our main issue is withdrawal of troops.”

He suggested that a resolution should be planned by taking everybody into consideration, which should form the basis of freedom struggle.

“Otherwise it will take 100 years to achieve independence,” he added.

The panelists said that independent Kashmir is possible and Kashmiris will force out India from the State.

“By hook or crook India has to get out from here,” pro-freedom activist Bashir Ahmad Bhat said.

NISAR AHMED THAKUR (Greater Kashmir)
Islamabad, Aug 14: The All Parties Committee for Kashmiri peoples’ right to self-determination, an alliance of more than a dozen political parties of AJK and Gilgit Baltistan, while observing Right to Self-determination Day, Thursday, made a passionate appeal to the world community to help resolve the dispute of Kashmir in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiri people
To mark the day, rallies, seminars and symposiums were arranged at various district headquarters of AJK. In this connection a seminar was also held at Islamabad Press Club which was addressed by the committee’s chairman and supreme head of Liberation Front Amanullah Khan and other representatives of the alliance including. Besides JKLF and SLF activists the seminar was attended by students and the activists of various political organizations of AJK.
Speakers on the occasion while highlighting the importance of the day maintained that Right to self-determination was the inalienable, inherent and globally recognized right of the people of Kashmir. They stated that any solution divergent to the principle of self-determination and the relevant UN resolutions would neither be a feasible nor would it be acceptable to the people on either sides of the line of control.
They pointed out that it was the moral responsibility of the UN to take concrete steps to settle this issue, as it has been pending there for several decades.
Referring to the prevailing political situation in Kashmir; the speakers regrettably noted that Indian troops were involved in worst kind of human rights violations in Kashmir and appealed the world HR organizations to take effective notice of the atrocities being inflicted against the people of Kashmir.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, the chairman of the Committee, Amanullah Khan said that the basic objective of observing this day was to remind India, Pakistan and the world community of the pledges they made with the people of Kashmir.
He said that the UN commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) after discussing Kashmir issue with the representatives of the respective countries adopted a resolution on August 13 1948, which was accepted by both India and Pakistan. He stated that it was the most comprehensive resolution in which Kashmiris’ right to self-determination was fully acknowledged by the two countries saying that a supplementary resolution was adopted by UNCIP later on January 5, 1949.
About the UN’s role he said, “The UN has done a very big favour to us that is British rulers, Indian Congress and even the Muslim League had agreed that it is the Maharaja of the state who has the right to decide future status of the state. But it is the United Nations that has granted this right to people so we are thankful to the highest body which has somehow empowered the people rather than the despotic rulers”.
Responding to another query he said, “My personnel appeal to the world conscience particularly India and Pakistan to fulfill the pledges they have given to Kashmiri nation. Like civilized nations both the countries India and Pakistan must honor the commitments of their predecessors and hold free, fair and impartial plebiscite in Kashmir so that people can decide the political destiny”.
“We are not begging for a charity nor we beg for any concessions, it is our birth right, and we will never give up this demand whatever the situation may be”, he added.
Meanwhile the Committee had also arranged similar functions at Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Rawalakot, which were addressed by the leaders of the alliance respectively.

Source:-http://www.greaterkashmir.com/today/full_story.asp?Date=15_8_2009&ItemID=54&cat=21

Islamabad—Kashmiris across Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and abroad would observe Self-determination Day on Thursday (today) in commemoration of UNCIP ( United Nation’s Commission on India and Pakistan) resolution of August 13, 1947 which promises plebiscite as solution to the dispute of Kashmir. The Patron-in-Chief of JKLF Mr Amanullah Khan told Pakistan Observer on telephone that the best viable settlement of the Kashmir dispute could come via granting right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “That right promised to Kashmiris by UN is sacrosanct with the Kashmiris for which they are struggling for past over 61 years, making immense sacrifices”, he added.

It was on August 13, 1947 that the United Nation’s Commission on India and Pakistan constituted by the Security Council had passed a resolution accepting right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir as the basis of settlement.

However on January 5, 1949 the same Commission passed another resolution that prescribed the accession solution - Kashmiris either to accede to Pakistan or to India. JKLF believes that the self-determination principle should not be conditional; that should be unviersal.

The Day on Thursday would be marked by open public meetings, walks, and adoption resolutions urging world leaders to help Kashmiris materialize their aspirations.

http://pakobserver.net/200908/13/news/topstories08.asp