Srinagar, O7 Jan 2017:


Respected chief guest, chairman and other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen……


 Firstly I would like to thank the Young Parliamentarians’ Forum of Pakistan, National Assembly of Pakistan for inviting me to address this august gathering of learned people. Honorable Parliamentarians, Honorable Ambassadors, and respected scholars, I say, Asalamualeikum to all of you.  We all yearn for Salam or peace in the South Asia and in the world. As a member of the oppressed Kashmiri nation and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, I pray for the growth of cordial relations between Pakistan and India, which is a precondition for the resolution of Kashmir Conflict and for a lasting peace in South Asia.

The young and dynamic group of Pakistani Parliamentarians, who are the future nation and State builders of Pakistan, would hopefully share my sentiments regarding the importance of promoting sustained efforts at peace building in South Asia, particularly aimed at improving Pakistan-India relations.The brunt ofPakistan-India border hostilities is borne by Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and naturally the people of both parts of divided Kashmir are the biggest votaries of peace.

Ladies and gentlemen ……

The theme of this International Seminar rightly focusses on the humanitarian dimensions of the Kashmir Conflict, when a peoples uprising in India occupied Kashmir has been brutally suppressed by Indian military and paramilitary forces. The five month long mass uprising was crushed by an unbridled use of force. The Indian Central Police Force admitted to firing some 1.3 million pellets in the first month of the uprising, which has resulted in a plague of dead and damaged eyes. Doctors in Kashmir estimate the total number of eye injuries caused by pellets in the first four months of the uprising to be 1178. Human suffering is impossible to quantify but numbers do tell a story in Kashmir. Around a 100 people have been shot dead by bullets or mowed down by a rain of pellets, around 15000 Kashmiri youth have been  injured ,roughly 10,000 youth have been arrested, most beaten and tortured in detention centers. Neighborhoods have been harassed en masse by Indian police and military forces, who in day and night raids and have administered collective punishment to Kashmiris in the form of destruction of their property, ranging from destruction of window panes, doors, laptops, motorbikes, cars or whatever has comes in the sight of rampaging troops. Parents and elderly relatives of young protestors have been arrested to force young protestors into submission. Democracies like India not only maim and kill but they also indulge in blackmail. They punish the families and relatives of dissidents to force them into silence.

 We have heard a lot about human security from the United Nations. The International Community tells us that the world must move from the outdated conception of state centered national security to a people centered conception of human security. We also hear about the doctrine of R2P, about a State’s responsibility to protect its citizens but we continue to see the limits and repeated failures of liberal humanitarianism the world over. Many powerful western governments have encouraged subjugated peoples like Kashmiris to give up armed struggle and adopt non–violent means in their struggles for freedom. In the past ten years, Kashmiris have primarily relied on non-violent means in articulating their aspirations for Azadi or Independence. However, Indian State has responded with an increasing use of military force to suppress mass uprisings in Kashmir and choked all spaces for non-violent resistance. The people’s uprisings of 2008, 2010 were crushed by massive military force and the story of the 2016 people’s uprising has seen history repeating itself.

   The world largely remains mute to the sufferings of Kashmiris. Diplomats of major Western democracies have even stopped paying lip service to the question of human rights in Kashmir. When some of them visit India occupied Kashmir, they lecture us on the virtues of India’s participatory democracy and about India’s democratic successes. It is like blaming the victim. Democracy, be it in a formal sense or substantive may work for the Hindu middle classes and the elite in India but Kashmiris have since 1947 harvested a bitter fruit of this democracy. This is not to suggest that Kashmir’s movement for Azadi or freedom is not a case of democratic mis-governance or decay of democratic institutions but it is an outcome of a forced incorporation of a people in a country against its will.

   India as a growing market has become the darling of powerful western countries. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has listed India as the number 1 importer of weapons for the years 2010-2014.A major western power, France recently inked an arms deal with India, which is worth 8.8Billion US dollars. In the world of big business and arms deals, where do western powers stand on human rights? Can the oppressed people of Kashmir and other oppressed nationalities expect any solidarity from western democracies like USA, UK, France AND EUROPIAN UNION, which have huge economic stakes in the weapons industry? Can the David of Human rights really triumph over the Goliaths of War industry and big business?

    A poor country like India is spending 40 Billion US Dollars on its military annually. A smaller economy of Pakistan has an annual defense budget of over 8 Billion US dollars. The defense budgets of the two countries continue experiencing a regular increase annually. The primary reason behind this massive spending on arms is the Pakistan-India rivalry over Kashmir, which leads to a huge loss of precious economic resources and limits economic potential of both the countries. Not surprisingly the Human Development Index Rankings of India and Pakistan stand at 130 and 147 respectively.

    A just and lasting solution to the Kashmir conflict, which gives primacy to Kashmiri self-determination, would usher in an enduring and positive peace in South Asia. It would not only put an end to the suffering of Kashmiris but also help unlock the massive economic potential of South Asia, with a population that roughly adds up as one fourth of the world’s total population.



Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/YasinMalikJKLF/

 Srinagar 09 January 2017: Martyr Sajad Kenoo was one of pioneers of present struggle for freedom, Martyrs like him are our real heroes and their sacrifices for the sacred cause can never be forgotten. This was stated by the chairman of Jammu Kashmir liberation front (JKLF) Muhammad Yasin Malik while addressing a memorial meeting held to recall the sacrifices of martyr Sajad Kenoo.

Terming Sajad Shaheed as a humble person, dedicated warrior, prolific leader and a brilliant human being, Yasin Malik said that he was one of the faces of Kashmiri resistance who till his last breath stood upright for the cause of freedom and sacrificed his life while striving for it.

JKLF chairman said that the sacrifices of heroes like Martyr Sajad Kenoo can never be forgotten and today when we remember his sacrifices and struggle, we pledge to take forward his mission with passion and zeal.

 Meanwhile JKLF has strongly condemned the ongoing oppression on inmates especially those who were booked under PSA that has been quashed by court but who have been re-arrested and put in various police stations in extreme cold season.
While condemning this oppression and illegal detention of these inmates, JKLF said that the families of these inmates are also being harassed by police. While appealing international Red Cross, Amnesty International, Asia watch and other bodies to intervene and save the lives of these inmates, JKLF has said that it is the obligation on these world bodies to save inmates from the wrath of oppressive regimes.

His Excellency Mr Antonio Guterres                  
United Nations Secretary General  
UN HQ 1st Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10017 USA.
Email: sgcentral@un.org
Date: 6 January 2017

Sub:  20 Million people of Jammu Kashmir wish their country to become a Bridge of Peace, between India and Pakistan.

Dear Excellency before we apprise you of the urgency around the longstanding issue of Jammu Kashmir, we would like to extend our congratulations to you, on becoming Secretary General of the United Nations. We extend our sincere good will, and wish your tenure as Secretary General with full of successes in alleviating, suffering and exploitation of underprivileged, and like 20 million Kashmiris, the subjugated people of the world!

As the conscience of the oppressed, exploited and subjugated millions throughout the world, we anticipate that your Excellency will make an early intervention on status of 20 million inhabitants of Jammu Kashmir- 13 million of whom live under Indian occupation- consistent with their fundamental human and democratic rights, and in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.

Excellency as you are aware, political status of Jammu Kashmir is yet to be determined within the internationally recognised principles and rights of peoples to self-determination. Since 1947 however, this cherished objective of freedom has been denied to the Kashmiris.

 Despite an existence under oppression and suffering for almost 70 years, Kashmiris have nevertheless, remained steadfast in the struggle to achieve their inherent and inalienable right to self-determination.

 Excellency instead of engaging with the people of Jammu Kashmir, and the world community to find an equitable solution to the issue, Indo- Pakistan confrontation and their contention over Kashmir, has become a danger to peace and prosperity for South Asian region and rest of the world. Both countries are perilously close to a full scale war on daily basis.

Since August of 2016 their military actions across the Line of Control-LoC- in Jammu Kashmir, have resulted in deaths and injuries to hundreds of civilians. Armies of both countries are deployed eye-ball to eyeball in Jammu Kashmir which is inimical to the well-being of civilian population on either side of the forced divide.

 Excellency both countries are nuclear powers and as a consequence of their contention over Kashmir, are engaged in an arms race that has catastrophic implications for all concerned.

Excellency India has around 700,000 military and para military forces deployed in the Indian held Jammu Kashmir. Indian forces enjoy total impunity of action against the population under an umbrella of draconian and anti-people laws.

Since June of 2016 these forces have unleashed some of the most inhuman methods of oppression against peaceful demonstrators.  Over a hundred people, mostly young, have been killed and thousands have been injured, including around a hundred, mainly children losing their eye sight due to the use of pellet guns by the occupation forces. India to all intents and purposes imposed martial law in the valley of Kashmir with the longest curfew in the history of the territory.

Pro- self-determination leadership is denied its democratic and peaceful right to engage with the public. The right to assembly and speech is all but non-existent in the Indian held part of the territory. Since the summer of 2016 collective leaders of the freedom movement and their party workers have been incarcerated or put under house arrest. Mr Yasin Malik for example has been incarcerated in Srinagar central jail, while Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Gilani have been under house arrest for almost all of the period since June of last year.

Excellency the struggle of Kashmiri people is to decide the future status of their country. And the denial of their right to do so is a greatest injustice meted out to a people whose most cherished desire is to have peace and prosperity in their country.
India and Pakistan have abysmally failed to resolve the Kashmir issue. Even their bilateral Shimla Accord of 1972, under which they committed themselves to resolve the issue along with their other disputes, is all but dead. India does no longer recognise, contrary to the historic facts, the rights of 20 million Kashmiris to self-determination. With its military might and economic power, India is acting like a colonial power that it, in reality, is in Jammu Kashmir!

We therefore urge your Excellency to take urgent steps and measures as the custodian of world conscience, to bring India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu Kashmir to the dialogue table, and ensure that a settlement of the issue is achieved for  sake of peace, justice and prosperity in the region and the world. Excellency 20 million people of Jammu Kashmir are eagerly prepared to become a bridge of peace between India and Pakistan in such process.

We further urge your Excellency to take following immediate steps:
To impress upon the Indian government, to allow  pro freedom leadership its democratic right to free speech and assembly in all parts of  Indian held  Jammu Kashmir.

We urge your Excellency to impress upon the Indian government to remove all its military and paramilitary forces from the urban and rural areas of Indian held Jammu Kashmir, and to stop forth-with the intimidation and oppression of the civilian population.

In view of all too frequent military flare-ups across the LoC that result in loss of life and destruction of property, and immense hardship to the civilian population on both sides, we urge your Excellency to, extend the powers of the UN Military Observer Group on India and Pakistan, UNMOGIP, to monitor cease-fire violations on the Indian side of the LoC as its personnel are allowed to do so on the Pakistani side of the LoC.

Excellency we are fully aware of the difficulties that a peace process over Kashmir may entail. However, as you will agree with us, there is no alternative to peace. Kashmiris desire nothing less than a peaceful and prosperous future for themselves and the billion and half people of India and Pakistan. We anticipate that along with major issues that blight our world, the plight of 20 million Kashmiris and their inherent, inalienable and internationally recognised right to freedom and democracy, will be an urgent focus of your attention for the year 2017- a year that you yourself, have dedicated to peace and justice in the world.

Excellency resolution of the Kashmir issue is a key to peace, justice and prosperity not only in South Asia but in the world.

With Regards

Prof Zafar Khan
Head of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front-JKLF

Diplomatic Bureau-London International Secretariat
119-123 Cannon Street Road London E1 2LX
Email: zafargk@aol.com

Labour Party asked to review its foreign policy on Kashmir


London 31 October, 2016: A Kashmiri delegation lead by JKLF-UK president, Sabir Gul, met with the Labour Party’s newly appointed Shadow Foreign  Minister, Emily Thornberry, in her London office, and  discussed with her the possibility of reviewing the party  policy on Kashmir and its support for the independence  movement and to call for the international intervention to  curb the growing human rights violations taking place on daily basis in the Indian occupied territory.  Besides  JKLF president, the Kashmiri delegation consisted of the  president of the J&K Liberation League, Councillor  Misfar Hussan, President of J&K Freedom Movement,  Councillor Ghulam Hussain, head of the British Kashmiri
Women Association, Rana Shama Nazir, and Head of JKLF’s  International Political and Diplomatic Campaigns, Prof Azmat
A. Khan.

This followed the JKLF meeting with the UK’s Foreign and  Commonwealth (FCO) head last week, where UK government  silence over the recent uprising was questioned. Expressing  dissatisfaction with the current UK government attitude  towards the gross human rights violations in Kashmir,  JKLF’s Azmat Khan explained that there was a need for the  UK Labour Party to review its foreign policy as  millions of Kashmiri and Pakistani voters in the country  looked towards Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership  to rebalance the gap between apathy and pro-active conflict  resolution approach which was very much needed.  Other  members of the delegation explained how they were looking forward to a future Labour government which would be able to  undo some of the injustices around the world including  Kashmir, where 20 million people have waited for 70 years to  undo the mess left behind by the British colonial raj. They  expressed concerns that UK ministers were more interested in  bilateral trade with India at the cost of human rights  issues and Prime Minister, Teresa May’s visit to India on  6th November would be used by India as an endorsement of its  brutal repression in Kashmir, which is largely hidden from  international spot light because of Syrian conflict. The JKLF leaders underlined the consequential fallout in Kashmir  if the international community did not take timely measures to help resolve the Kashmir conflict.

The shadow  foreign secretary raised a number of questions regarding the  Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan,  Ladakh and Siachin  territories and asked about the political and legal status  of the two assemblies on both sides of the divided Kashmir.


The Kashmiri delegation explained how secret service  agencies undertook a vetting process before candidates were  allowed to stand for local elections and then compelled to  take oath of allegiance towards a country named as an  occupier by the UN, which was the reason why  pro-independence movement leaders were against participating  in such electoral processes.

They pointed to historical  electoral fraud and the bitter claims and counter claims  between India and Pakistan which left little choice for the  pro-independence Kashmiri leadership exercise their right to  freedom of speech and freedom of movement.

 It was decided that a follow up meeting would be organised  to look at Kashmiri demands and to address the concerns of  the Kashmiri Diaspora in the UK at a future date.



For further details please contact

Shakeel Mirza Spokesman JKLF UK Chapter.

Shakeel_jaral2006@yahoo.co.uk

London 24 October, 2016:   Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front UK chapter organised a Mass Lobby of the British Parliament along with Several other pro freedom leaders including Dr.Misfer Hussan,Najib Afser,Ghulam Hussain,Rana Shama Nazir,Irshad Malik,veteran leader Jabbar Butt,Zubair Ansari and inaam ul Haq.More than 40 members British Parliament participated in the meeting ,few of them are listed below.

Julie Cooper .    Burnley

Kelvin Hopkins. Luton

Liam Byrne.      Birmingham

Yasmin Qureshi. Bolton

Khalid Mahmood .Birmingham

Stephen Timms. East Ham

Eilidh Whiteford .Banff and Buchan.

Paul Blomfield. Sheffield

David Nuttall. Bury

Philip Davis. Shipley

 David Winnck. Bloxwich, Walsall

Ruth Smeeth. Stoke on Tent

Gavin Shuker. Luton

Roger Godsiff. Birmingham

Fabian Hamilton. Leeds

Robert Flello .Stoke on Trent

Tasmina Sheikh.  Ochil and South Perthshire

Lord Hussain. House of Lords ( Former Leader of JKLF)

 Thangam Debbonaire.Bristol West.

Richard Fuller. Bedford

Judith gumming. Bradford

Honourable British Member Parliament Julie Cooper chaired the meeting along with JKLF,s international, diplomatic and political campaigns head Professor Azmat A Khan,Dr.Misfer Hussan and JKLF UK Zone president Sabir Gul.



JKLF senior leaders including general secretary Syed Tehseen Gillani,cheif organiser Abar Nisar,spokesman JKLF UK Shakeel Mirza,senior Vice President Mushtaq Malik,Senior leader Aslam  Mirza ,Aqeel Butt,Muhammad Saghir,Muhammad Sodagar,Professor Liaqat,Malik Latif,Nazam Bhati,general secretary Luton Liaqat Ali Lone and many more JKLF members were present in the meeting.




JKLF leaders said that UK government has a longstanding but ineffective docile policy of no mediation on Kashmir. For a permanent UN SC member state, which has historical, political and moral obligation on Kashmir, to say “Its between India and Pakistan to resolve” is equivalent to saying the two nuclear armed neighbours can carry on with what they are doing in Kashmir. The ethical foreign policy ministers used to say we stand ready to help but that is no more the case. Hence the bloodshed and carnage continues in occupied Kashmir.




 JKLF leaders said that, if promoting respect for human rights and political rights for all people and all nations in the world is a core purpose of the UN, the people of divided and occupied Jammu Kashmir have been waiting over 7 decades for it to take effect in Kashmir. UK and USA are responsible for the systemic failure of the Security Council in meeting their responsibilities and promises on resolving the Kashmir issue peacefully in accordance with the will of the people.  We suspect the new UN Human Rights UpFront initiative will not reach Jammu Kashmir to ensure early and effective action. The uprising over the past 3 months is not likely to die down.



JKLF pleaded the British MPs for their help and assistance to raise the issue of Kashmir’ as an issue of unfettered right of self-determination for 20 million population of Jammu Kashmir rather than a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan.

JKLF asked the MPs to raise questions about Kashmir before Prime Minister, Teresa May, goes to India from 6th November that
While in India, will the PM talk to her counterpart about releasing Kashmiri political prisoners, including women & children as well as the ailing leader of the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik, whose moderate and secular organisation represents Kashmiris on both sides of the divide as well as the Diaspora, and who seeks peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue through international mediation.





JKLF leadership urged British parliamentarians to ask Indian or Pakistani MPs or Ministers, what measures they are seeking to take to make life easier for the Kashmiri population under their respective control, including freedom of speech, freedom of movement and the right to live life with honour and dignity until the Kashmir Issue is resolved.





JKLF raised concerns about the health,safety and well being of JKLF cheif Yasin Malik in front of British MPs and told them that JKLF have strong reservation about the medical treatment of Mr.Yasin Malik provided by Indian government .JKLF urged that Mr. Yasin Malik should be released immediately from the custody.



British parliamentarians assured that they will raise the questions about human rights violations on both sides of LOC and will continue their support for the movement of independence of Jammu Kashmir in the house and on other relevant forums.They said that they understand Jammu Kashmir is not a boarder dispute between Indian and Pakistan but an issue of 20 millions people's political future.


People of Jammu Kashmir should be given an unfettered right of self determination so that they could decide their political future .
British Parliamentarians assured that they will raise all questions and would play more active role inside parliament and outside for the resolution of Jammu Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of the people of Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.