Birmingham PNI) A conference in Birmingham has brought together politicians, human rights advocates, faith leaders and community representatives to highlight concerns over the human rights situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to renew calls for action in line with United Nations resolutions. The event, titled “Kashmir: Stories of Courage, Loss and Hope”, focused on reported restrictions on civil liberties, arbitrary detentions, demographic changes and the continued denial of the right to self-determination for the Kashmiri people.
Speakers at the conference included Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman Affaqi, Deputy Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami AJK & GB, who outlined the historical and legal background of the Kashmir dispute, and Fahim Kayani, President of All Parties Kashmir Alliance UK & Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, who urged the UK government and the wider international community to take “meaningful and principled steps” beyond diplomatic statements. Barrister Osman Noor, a human rights lawyer, spoke about alleged violations of international law and the lack of accountability mechanisms, while Cllr Saima Suleman, a cabinet member of Birmingham City Council, stressed the importance of upholding universal human rights standards.
The event also heard contributions from Astrid Laich of Amnesty International, who referred to documented human rights concerns and the need for independent international monitoring, and Toby Crowe, vicar of St John’s Church, who spoke about moral responsibility and solidarity with communities facing injustice. The conference was attended by Birmingham councillors Ikhlaq and Ashfaq, Abdeen from Palestine, independent candidate Nosheen, former councillor Iram Tahir, human rights activist Naila Asmat, Qamar Abbas, chairman of Alum Rock Masjid, Mufti Majeed, vice-president of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Naib Mughal, Raja Fazal ur rehman , Fsrooq Qadari, Mulana Sajjad as well as Dr Khalid and Dr Saboor.
The conference was organized by Ch Ikram-ul-Haq, President of Tehreek-e-Kashmir Birmingham, and Kh. Muhammad Suleiman, Director of the Kashmir Institute of Conflict Research (KIRC), Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, the conference concluded with a collective call for an end to what speakers described as the occupation of Jammu and Kashmir, the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, independent international investigations into alleged abuses, and recognition of the Kashmiri people’s right to determine their future peacefully.
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