Washington-Fallowing the 14th July Conference that Kashmir Global Council convened in Capitol Hill on 14 th July marking Kashmir Martyrs’ Day with renewed calls for global action to resolve the decades-long dispute. The unanimous declaration adopted after the event, attended by U.S. Republican and Democratic representatives, Kashmiri and international scholars, human rights advocates and diaspora focussed on the risk of nuclear conflict in South Asia and ongoing human rights violations in the region.
KGC President Farooq Siddiqi said the Kashmir issue “will not be resolved through guns, sanctions or constitutional changes,” but only “through justice, universal principles and the free will of the Kashmiri people.”
The conference adopted what it called the Washington Declaration, urging India and Pakistan to grant international human rights groups, journalists and humanitarian agencies unrestricted access to Kashmir to assess conditions on the ground. The declaration also called for the release of political prisoners, the repeal of laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Public Safety Act, and the withdrawal of military forces from civilian areas.
Siddiqi endorsed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed approach to Kashmir, describing the so-called Trump Doctrine as “a realistic path” to defuse tensions and prevent nuclear escalation in the region.
The declaration pressed for restoration of Kashmiri control over natural resources, creation of a “Senate of Kashmir” to represent local voices and recognition of the region’s cultural and geographic ties to Central Asia.
“Kashmir’s tragedy has been held hostage to geopolitical interests,” Siddiqi said. “The world must decide how long it will remain a silent spectator.”
The council announced plans to intensify its diplomatic campaign, mobilizing diaspora groups, human rights organizations and global powers to elevate the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, the U.S., European Union, China and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
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