JEDDAH, 30 October 2006 — The Kashmir Committee, established 18 years ago to help the Kashmiris in their struggle for self-determination, observed black day to denounce the occupation of Kashmir, at an event held at the Consulate General of Pakistan.
Chairman Mian Khalid highlighted the committee’s role in fund-raising and other activities for the assistance and rehabilitation of the victims of last year’s earthquake in Azad Kashmir. He said that sufficient funds and relief goods were sent to help the quake-affected Kashmiris.
Wasim Shahid Bokhari spoke about the Kashmir issue and emphasized the need for resolving it in the light of UN resolutions.
Three best debaters of Pakistan International Schools at Rehab and Aziziyah highlighted the sufferings of the Kashmiris during their 58-year-old struggle.
“Competitions were held at both schools to highlight the Kashmir issue and educate the students about the atrocities being committed by the Indian armed forces,” a consulate press release said.
Pakistan’s acting Consul General Zaigham Uddin Azam said Kashmiris observed Oct. 27 as a black day to focus on India’s occupation of Kashmir as a result of the instrument of accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh against the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. “The accession was subject to the confirmation by a plebiscite that has yet to be undertaken, a promise that has taken the lives of more than 100,000 innocent Kashmiris in state terrorism,” he said.
According to the acting consul general, Pakistan’s principled position on Jammu and Kashmir is based on the UN Security Council resolutions, which provide that the Kashmir issue will be solved according to the will of the people of Kashmir.
“Pakistan has always emphasized the need for a meaningful, constructive and result-oriented dialogue to settle the row. In their struggle for self-determination, the Kashmiri people have undergone untold sufferings and hardships over the last 58 years,” he added.
According to him, India’s claim that Kashmir is its integral part is “misleading and incorrect” because the disputed character of Jammu and Kashmir has been recognized by the UN, accepted by both India and Pakistan and endorsed by the international community; the line of control (LOC) in the disputed area is not an international boundary and recognized as such by India; there is complete alienation in the Indian occupied Kashmir against the Indian rule; and Pakistan and India in their joint statement of Jan. 6, 2004 have committed themselves to seeking a final settlement to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
“The four-point formula presented by President General Pervez Musharraf offers the best mechanism to break the impasse,” the consul general said.
