Call for return of Maqbool Butt's mortal remains received international backing

London, 12 February 2015

The call for return of Maqbool Butt's mortals remains received international backing on Wednesday, on his 31st death anniversary, when members of the British and European Parliament joined the campaign and signed a petition for the President of India to order the release of mortal remains of Shaheed-e Kashmir to his family in Kashmir

The petition was handed to the Indian High Commissioner by JKLF campaigners and a copy was delivered to 10 Downing Street, for the attention of Prime Minister David Cameron, asking him to intervene for the repatriation of mortal remains of Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru on humanitarian grounds. (see attached letter and petition for details )

The chair of the All Parties Kashmir Parliamentary Group, Andrew Griffiths MP, vice chair Debbie Abrahams MP, Raja Najabat Hussain Chairman of Jammu Kashmir Self Determination Movement (Europe) and Azmat A Khan, President Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front UK & EU presented a joint letter to Downing Street. Andrew Griffiths and Debbie Abrahams assured Kashmiri people of their continued support from friends of Kashmir in British Parliament for their right to self-determination.

Press Secretary,

JKLF UK and Europe Zone

Memorandum to the Prime Minister of United Kingdom on the occasion of  the 31^st death anniversary of the Kashmiri leader Maqbool Butt.

Date: 11 February, 2015

To                                                                                                        

The Prime Minister

Rt. Hon David Cameron

10 Downing St, London

Dear Prime Minister

On behalf of the large British Kashmiri community, who are deeply concerned over the continued conflict, human rights violations and the denial of the internationally pledged right of self-determination to the people of  Jammu-Kashmir, we would like to bring to your attention another unique case of human rights violation in Indian occupied Kashmir.

It has been 31 years since the Indian government executed the Kashmiri independence leader Maqbool Butt on 11^th February, 1984, despite international pleas for clemency, and buried him inside Tihar jail where he was executed, without allowing his immediate family to claim his body (see attached details). 11 February is marked as a Black Day in Kashmir every year and thousands of Kashmiris take out processions and protest rallies to mark his death anniversary, including UK Kashmiris who are once again protesting at the Indian High Commission in London today. Over the last 30 years they have been demanding the return of mortal remains of Maqbool Butt for a proper burial in Kashmir. Last year,  the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir wrote to the president of India to persuade the Indian government to reconsider the matter. All pleas have fallen on deaf ears so far.

We enclose a copy of the joint letter signed by 60 UK and European members of parliament who have joined the campaign to seek the return of mortal remains of the Kashmir leader.

We call upon your office today to plead with you to intervene on humanitarian basis and to exert pressure through diplomatic channels on behalf of UK Kashmiris for the Indian government to allow Maqbool Butt’s ailing mother or his children to remove his mortal remains from Tihar jail to be buried Kashmir.

We look forward to hearing from you favourably.

Yours sincerely ;

Andrew Griffiths, MP  - Chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir

Debbie Abrahams, MP – Vice Chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir

Azmat A. Khan – President Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (UK & Europe) 

Raja Najabat Hussain   Chair Jammu Kashmir Self-Determination Movement (UK)