British Parliamentarians endorse call for Kashmir Conference

A number of British Parliamentarians have endorsed the suggestions of former Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Prime Minister Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry to hold a moot on Kashmir similar to Afghanistan Conference for bringing peace and stability in South Asia.The parliamentarians were taking part in a discussion organised by the Chair of All Parties Parliamentary Group on Kashmir Lord Nazir Ahmed at the House of Lords on Wednesday.Speaking on the occasion, Barrister Chaudhry apprised the British members of Parliament of the current situation prevailing in the Indian held Kashmir and said there could be no region in the region without first resolving the Kashmir issue.
He remarked that the road to stability and peace in Afghanistan lay via Kashmir and it was important for the world community to realise the gravity of the situation in the valley where the human rights of the people of Kashmir continues to be violated with impunity.
He also spoke of the threat by the Indian Army chief of waging war simultaneously with Pakistan and China and said the world must take notice of his bellicosity.
Any small incident on the Indo-Pakistan border or the Line of Control could trigger a nuclear war as both the countries are nuclear powers, he said.
The former premier of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir called for intra Kashmir dialogue to be followed by an international conference on the disputed Himalayan State for resolving the issue that has been hanging fire for the past 62 years between Pakistan and India.
Barrister Chaudhry pointed out that US President Barack Obama on the occasion of his election had spoken of the importance of resolving the Kashmir dispute and had suggested appointing former President Bill Clinton as his special envoy on Kashmir.
It was unfortunate that due to strong pressure exerted by the Indian lobby, Obama could not appoint anyone as his representative on Kashmir, he said.
Furthermore, Barrister Chaudhry who is the head of the Peoples Muslim League, said even though Richard Holbrooke has been made special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan but his writ does not extend to Kashmir.
Therefore, he suggested that the best way is to organise an international conference on Kashmir by inviting all the stake holders including members of the European Council for in-depth discussion on the issue.
He said in his visit to the European capitals next week, he will take up this issue with the European leaders and impress upon them the need to organise a conference on Kashmir.
Barrister Chaudhry urged Britain to take a leading role in this regard because as a former colonial power in the sub-continent, its policies led to the creation of this problem.
The British Parliamentarians who spoke on the occasion included Meg Munn, Dr.Brian Iddon, Rob Fiello, Adrian Bailey, Janet Dean, Sion Simon, Fiona Mactaggat, Liam Byrne and John Hemming.
In their respective remarks, they backed the suggestion of Barrister Chaudhry and said they will take up the issue with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding the international summit on Kashmir.
Dr.Iddon who is stepping down as MP at the next election and in his place the Labour Party has nominated Pakistan-origin Yasmin Qureshi as its candidate for Bolton South East constituency, spoke of the huge challenges faced by Pakistan and said strong and stable Pakistan was in the interest of India.
He was opposed to India seeking a permanent seat in the UN Security Council without first resolving the Kashmir issue.
The Parliamentarians said peace was essential in the region and Kashmir was central to it. They also noted that both India and Pakistan have huge defence budgets which in case Kashmir issue was resolved could be diverted to social sectors and improve the living standards of the people of the sub-continent.