JEDDAH: Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC) at its symposium held here last week emphasized the need for a plebiscite in Kashmir to end the long-standing dispute between Pakistan and India, and called for solving the long pending issue of stranded Pakistanis.
Speaking as chief guest at the symposium entitled “Kashmir, an obligation of Muslim Ummah,” chief guest M. Jameel said organizing a symposium once a year would not solve the issue, “rather we need to do a lot of effort to secure the right of self-determination to Kashmiris.” He added: “It’s a pity the UN has failed to organize the promised plebiscite in Kashmir in the past six decades, while it was quick to organize it in East Timor.”
Journalist Rauf Tahir said Kashmir was an unfinished agenda of the Pakistan movement. He added that for 30 years Kashmiris were optimistic to get their right from India but later they realized there was no seriousness shown to the issue.
Syed Riaz Hussain Bukhari, president of Pakistan People’s Community, said: “We must praise the loyalty of Kashmiris and stranded Pakistanis toward Pakistan and take concerted measures to solve their issues soon.”
Mohammad Ashfaque Badaouni said fighting an occupier did not come under the category of terrorism, but was a movement of freedom which had all the legitimacy, so India need to give Kashmiris their basic right of freedom rather than use force against them.
Iftikhar Choudhry, Choudhry Saeed Jutt, Sheikh Mohammad Luqman, Gulab Khan, Shamsuddin Altaf, and Ilyas Meher also highlighted the plight of Kashmiris and stranded Pakistanis.
PRC Convener Ehsanul Haque urged the Organization of the Islamic Conference to play a stronger role in solving the Kashmir problem.
