Chairman Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU) Ali Raza Syed had said, restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir will allow the region to address the contemporary crucial issues such as dangers of melting glaciers, and overflowing rivers. He was addressing an event titled, “Right to Development and Sustainable development Goals,” in Geneva.

Event was organised by International Action for peace and sustainable development at the side line of 51 session of UN Human-rights Council in Geneva.

Adovate Parvez Shah, the  noted Kashmiri leader, Muzamil Ayoob Thakur, the president Kashmir freedom movement and Zaffar Ahmad Qureshi, Chairman of Kashmir Campaign Global were also among the speakers of the event.

Chair of KC-EU said, I implore the nations around the world to come together and help find a solution of the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir persisting for the past 70 years.

A peaceful resolution to this long lasting dispute will not only allow the region to focus on issues related to the rapidly climate change but the region will also find an appropriate way towards a sustainable development instead of funding more on militaries as above a million Indian soldiers currently deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. It is time now that UN to implement its resolutions and address the matter of violations of human rights of the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir.  In case of resolution of Kashmir issue, people of the entire region can use their energies together towards building a sustainable future of the region; a region free from oppression but full of prosperity.

He said, the sustainable development in the region is of the outmost importance but it can be achieved if basic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are granted to them as per the UN Charter.

Ali Raza Syed further said, furthermore, the matter of human rights violations cannot come second, it remains the foremost and urgent issue at hand. Students and youth have become victims of oppression in Indian occupied Kashmir; traders are being harassed and their properties destroyed. Many human rights activists such as Khuram Parvez and Ahsaan Untoo are in the Indian prison without any cause.

Calling the international community, Chair of KC-EU said, “people of Jammu and Kashmir look upon you for your intervention to help them attaining right to self-determination and their basic human rights”. Not only Human rights activists but also imprisoned journalists, such as Sajjad Gul and Fahad Shah, and jailed political leaders, such as Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah and many more, are having their voice suppressed. Many have been in prison for many years; some even being transferred from Kashmiri prisons to Indian prisons. As per article 19 of the UN declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Ali Raza Syed regrets over the recent meteorological events in South Asia, particularly Pakistan, have highlighted the desperate need to find sustainable measures that can help mitigate damage caused by climate change.

For Pakistan, he said, the flood damage in the country is estimated to be $10 billion, or 4% of the nation’s gross domestic products according to the countries planning minister, Ahsan Iqbal. He added, across India, floods have become more common in recent years and claiming the lives of around 6,000 people and the damage over the past 3 years has been estimated at $7.4 billion.

The impact of climate change to Kashmir, which is also known as the water tower of Asia, will change the livelihood of millions of people as it provides about 8.6 million cubic meters of water per annum to Asian countries and this region covers an area of 33,000 sq. km. The stability of this region is crucial as it impacts over a billion individuals, whilst the ripple of climate change effects create stress for the rest of world through continuous aid programmes and charitable work, while the world looks to find its feet after the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Source: Kashmir Council-EU