Turkey Truly Advocated Resolution Of Kashmir Dispute

President of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan, has reiterated the call on the international community to end the ongoing atrocities in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K), upholding the inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiris in accordance with the UN resolutions.

President Sardar Masood Khan made these remarks as the chief guest at the inaugural session of the two-day international conference on Jammu & Kashmir conflict being jointly held by Lahore Center for Peace Research and Institute of Strategic Thinking in Ankara under the theme: “Kashmir Turmoil: Emerging Threats to Peace and Role of International Community.”

The inaugural session had high-level Turkish and international representation, including the Chief Justice of Turkish Supreme Court, Ismail Cirit; President Religious Affairs (Grand Mufti), Dr. Ali Erbas; Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Surreya Bilgic; Deputy Chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Turkish Grand National Assembly; and Deputy Head of Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Erkan Akcay. Parliamentarians from Indonesia, Egypt and Iran were also present.

Senator Sherry Rehman, Ambassador Shamshad Ahmed and Lord Nazir Ahmed gave a compelling and comprehensive overview of the prevalent situation in the IOJ&K following India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019.

In his statement, President Masood Khan present the actual picture and demand from world community that Save Kashmiris from genocide and collective annihilation. Build pressure on India to reverse the illegal steps it took on August 5 and October 31 to annex and colonize the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Help repulse the rising tide of Hindutva, the most pernicious form of violent extremism today that threatens not only Muslims in Kashmir, Pakistan and South Asia, but Muslims and human beings all over the world.

Despite Indian extremists’ jingoism and irredentism, persevere in the quest for a political and diplomatic solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

President Masood Khan asked: “Are Kashmiri Muslims’ lives expendable? Are they not citizens of this planet? Are Kashmiris orphans of the global family? Do they not have right to defend themselves?”

He added that the people of Pakistan were determined to defend every inch of their homeland by all means against any threat. Any miscalculation by India would be costly for it, for the region and the world, he stated.

President expressed the deep gratitude of the people of Jammu & Kashmir to President Recep Tayyab Erdogan for resolutely advocating a resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute through dialogue, as well as for Turkey’s principled stance on the issue. Recalling the historic Pakistan-Turkey fraternal relationship, he said that support for the Kashmir cause existed at all levels of the Turkish society and was a source of great solace for the oppressed people of IOJ&K. He also thanked Turkey for its invaluable contribution towards the reconstruction efforts in Azad Kashmir in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in 2005.

He said that Turkey could play an important role towards the resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir conflict as a mediator as well as through its humanitarian diplomacy which was playing an important role towards global peace.

President of Azad Jammu & Kashmir also invited the participants of the conference to visit Azad Kashmir “where we have nothing to hide and lots to showcase.”

The two-day international conference on Jammu & Kashmir dispute is being attended by dozens of scholars, academicians, researchers, journalists and writers from across the world and will inter alia look at the legal, political, security and human rights dimensions of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.