BiRMINGHAM (PNI) The upcoming five years in power are a “test” for ruling Labour Party to outline its pro Kashmir policy , said prominent Kashmiri leader Fahim Kayani, warning any U-turn would cost it dearly.
British Labour Party won a landslide in the UK general elections in July 04 elections.
“If the new government does not fulfill its commitments made to voters which include an overwhelming majority of those with Pakistani and Kashmiri descent,” Kayani told a news conference in Birmingham, “the Labour Party will lose these seats in the next elections.”
“I am confident about it,” Kayani said, pointing out how Labour Party faced loss of voters in the just-concluded elections.
The British Pakistanis and Kashmiris voted Labour Party as well as independent candidates this election.
Recalling the Labour Party’s policy on Kashmir, Kayani said when Roger Godsiff from Labour party won elections in 1992 with the support of Pakistanis and Kashmiris, Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK founding President Syed Munawar Hasan Mashafi took him to Azad Kashmir.
After his return to the UK, “he played a pivotal role in forming All Party Parliamentary group for Kashmir,” said Kayani.
“This was an organized official step on Kashmir in the British Parliament,” he said. “But Labour Party will have to outline its policy on Kashmir which must be based on UN resolutions and right to self-determination.”
The Labour came to power in 1997 and remained in the government until 2010 when Conservatives took over.
“Both governments had same rethoric on Kashmir; that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and Pakistan and India should resolve the issue according to wishes of Kashmir. This is the stated policy of UK foreign office which is against UN resolutions. Kashmir is an issue of right of self determination,” Kayani said.
However, Kayani lamented, since Keir Starmer took over the Labour Party, “he tried to hurt cause of Kashmir inside the Labour Party, calling illegal changes made by India in August 2019 as Constitutional matter for New Delhi.”
“But thanks to pro-Kashmir lawmakers within the Labour Party, they resisted the move by reminding Keir Starmer that Kashmir is about right to self-determination as promised by the UN ,the Labour Friends of Kashmir led by Andrew Gywnne MP was formed ” Kayani recalled.
The Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK leader called on the Labour Party voters to keep reminding their lawmakers through emails and other campaigning forms regarding Kashmir as well as Palestine.
“Now, there are more 50 pro-Kashmir lawmakers in the Parliament,” Kayani said.
“Since Labour Party is in power now, it is in government, we must not let them forget commitments made to us,” he said.
Kayani said Labour Party has felt the ground situation which has lost much voters.
“We won’t let Labour Party take our votes far-granted and they will have to come up with pro-Kashmir policy, issuing copy-paste statements on Kashmir from the UK foreign office that Kashmir is a bilateral issue will not work. Kashmir is about implementing UN resolutions,” Kayani said, reminding the Labour government that the UK was cause of Kashmir conflict..
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