Rich tributes paid to Mirwaiz and Lone

Unity key to success

Islamabad, May 21: While paying eulogizing tributes to Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq and Khwaja Abdul Gilani Lone, Kashmiri leaders at a seminar organized by APHC-M here on Saturday stated that the slain leaders’ indomitable role and peerless contribution to the ongoing struggle would be remembered for a long time in the history of Kashmir.

Chaired by the amalgam’s convener Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, the seminar was attended by Hurriyat leaders, as well as the representatives of Kashmiri community based in the twin city Rawalpindi/Islamabad, whereas Executive Directors of Kashmir Centre in London and Washington, Professor Nazir Ahmad Shawl and Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai were the chief guests on the occasion.

Speakers on the occasion highlighted the supreme sacrifices of the Kashmiri martyrs renewed their pledge to uphold the mission of martyrs who they said “have sacrificed their today for our better tomorrow”. They also denounced the unabated human rights violations in Kashmir and appealed the international community to impress upon India to put an end to rights violations in the territory.

Terming unity as key to success they said that it was high time that Kashmiri leadership should burry their hatchet and forge a broad based unity so as to take the people out from the dark prospects of despondency and chaos.  

Describing dialogue as a civilized way to resolve dispute they said that Kashmiris were not averse to dialogue, however, they maintained that bilateralism had miserably failed to resolve Kashmir dispute and emphasized the need for associating genuine Kashmiri leadership with the dialogue process to settle Kashmir dispute once and for all.

They urged the Indian government to withdraw its troops, revoke draconian laws, and release all illegally detained pro-liberation leaders and activists to create a conducive atmosphere for talks to settle long-outstanding issue of Kashmir peacefully.

Referring to the changes sweeping across the world KAC chief Dr. G Nabi Fai and Professor Nazir Shawl said that owing to the unprecedented sacrifices of Kashmiri people the long-pending issue was now echoing all around the diplomatic corridors of Washington, Europe and other power centres of the world.

Referring to an article published in the New York Times on Sunday last Dr. Fai said that the article unfolded some of the private views expressed by Late Richard Holbrooke, the Obama’s point-man on south Asia, which he said were an eye-opener for the entire world. The NYT article he said that Holbrooke believed that the resolution of Kashmir dispute was must to reduce radicalism in Pakistan.

“The views of Holbrooke are indeed acknowledgment by an acclaimed diplomat that resolution of Kashmir dispute is must for success of the US-led war against terrorism in this region,” professor Shawl said.

Of those who addressed the gathering included Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai the Executive Director Kashmiri American Council, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl Executive Director Justice Foundation London, Syed Yousuf Naseem, Faiz Naqshbandi, Ghulam Nabi Nowshehri, Tahir Masood, Altaf Wani, Abdul Majeed Malik, Manzoor-ul-Haq, JKLF leader Rafiq Ahmad Dar and Sheikh Waleed Rasoo