A high-profile roundtable conference convened in Muzaffarabad has called on the international community to reengage meaningfully with the protracted Kashmir conflict, warning that continued inaction poses a grave threat to regional peace and stability.
Chaired by Tanveerul Islam- a former militant turned peace advocate and now Chairman of the Sawera Foundation—the event brought together diplomats, academics, civil society representatives, and journalists under the banner “Voices for Peace and Justice.” The conference was organized by the Sawera Foundation, a nonprofit working on peacebuilding and human rights in South Asia, and received a press release from Muzzafarabad.
Speakers at the forum underscored the urgent need for a rights-based and just resolution to the Kashmir dispute, emphasizing that silence or neglect would only deepen the humanitarian and geopolitical crisis.
Reflecting on recent diplomatic de-escalation efforts between India and Pakistan, Tanveerul Islam lauded the behind-the-scenes interventions of former US President Donald Trump, supported by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for helping avert a potential military escalation.
“That moment of diplomacy was not just a pause in hostilities, it was a demonstration of what principled international engagement can achieve,” he said.
Sharing his personal transformation from armed struggle to peace advocacy, Tanveer credited his late mother as a defining influence. “Where I once believed in the power of the gun, I now believe in the strength of dialogue, compassion, and education,” he stated. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve peace-not through enforced silence, but through justice and dignity.”
Delegates stressed that sustainable peace in South Asia cannot be achieved through bilateral negotiations alone and called for proactive facilitation by the global community.
In a joint communiqué issued at the close of the roundtable, key international actors—including the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar- were urged to act as impartial facilitators in advancing an inclusive and sustained dialogue on Kashmir.
The communiqué also called on the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take a more active role in supporting multilateral diplomacy, grounded in international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
A significant outcome of the gathering was the adoption of the Kashmir Civil Society Declaration, which urged India and Pakistan to resume structured and inclusive dialogue, release political detainees, and restore civil liberties in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The declaration emphasized that Kashmir should not be viewed merely as a territorial issue, but as a moral, legal, and humanitarian crisis with far-reaching global implications.
The Sawera Foundation also announced the launch of the Sawera Peace & Justice Initiative, a new platform dedicated to promoting nonviolence, peace education, and youth engagement in conflict-affected areas.
The event concluded with a broad consensus among participants that genuine peace is defined not by the absence of violence, but by the presence of justice, freedom, and the right to meaningful self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Attendees reaffirmed their commitment to nonviolent action and international solidarity, urging the global community to respond with urgency, empathy, and determination.