Seminar in British Parliament held to mark the death anniversary of Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru

London (13 February 2015) In a Commons Seminar held to mark the death anniversary of Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru, speakers paid rich tribute to the life and struggle of the Kashmiri leader Maqbool Butt and called it an inhuman act to keep mortals remains imprisoned after their hanging. And called upon Indian government to rethink its position with regard to their burial. A joint letter signed by 60 members of parliament was sent to the President of India to ask him to authorize the release of Kashmiri leader's remains to be taken to Kashmir for Islamic burial.

Speaking at the Seminar, the the leader of the Respect Party, George Galloway MP, the most outspoken critic of Isreali atrocities said that he was astounded to hear the plight of the mothers whose sons have been buried in secret. " Israel has done many bad things but even Israel does not keep dead bodies imprisoned". Other members of Parliament who spoke at the seminar, including Yasmin Qureshi MP and John Hemming MP, said that they fully backed the campaign to have the mortal remains of two Kashmiri martyrs released from Tihar jail to be buried in Kashmir. They said that they did not understand why Indian government had taken this decision and what they feared from allowing the Kashmiri leader to be buried in Kashmir.
The host of the seminar, Raja Najabat Hussain of the Kashmir Self-determination Movement echoed their sentiments and thanked members of parliament for their support and said that Kashmiri people should not feel that they alone or no one is listening to them.

A human rights campaigner and lecturer of International Politics at the University of Westminister, Dr Debyesh Anand, analysed in detail Maqbool Butt's lifelong struggle and why India feared from him and hanged him to silence his dream for independence. He said that Kashmiri nation and diaspora needs to be clear about where they want to take this movement and how they are going to achieve their goal.

JKLF president in UK , Azmat Khan, highlighting Maqbool Butt and Afzal Guru's struggle for their nation and for the dream of independent Kashmir said that Maqbool Butt was let down by his friends such as Farooq Abdullah and Muzafar Baig in his hour of need but now Indian parliamentarians and other human rights champions have started to speak out against the injustice done to them. He said Maqbool Butt, who was charged as a Indian agent by Pakistan and ironically India hanged him for the being 'enemy agent', was a visionary leader who had no opportunity to defend his case in courts but knew that his hanging would wake up his nation. He said that Afzal Guru, was a simple follower of Maqbool Butt's dream and was hanged because India needed a scapegoat. 

A film maker, Talat But, screened a documentary on the plight of Maqbool Butt's ailing mother and her last wish to see his son buried in Kashmir. A Rochdale Councillor, Dalat Ali and London Councillor Mehmood Hussain questioned the legal process to claim their mortal remains and called on the Indian and international human rights organization as well as Paksitani government and NGO's to intervene to end the agony of Kashmiri mothers. Among other speakers were several Kashmiri women including Ms Sarah Quyyum, Miss Saima Yousaf who paid rich tribute to the Kashmiri martyrs and called on world community to do more for Kashmir. 

Press Secretary,

JKLF UK & Europe Zone