Kashmiri Diaspora’s effort for highlighting the dispute hailed

London, April 05: Senior leader of All Parties Hurriyet Conference APHC), Shabir Ahmad Shah has appreciated the efforts of Kashmiri Diaspora for highlighting the plight of their brethren and advocating their legitimate cause.

Shabir Ahmad Shah, while addressing a convention of the Kashmir Centre representatives at Birmingham via phone from Jammu, reaffirmed the resolve of the Kashmir people to continue their struggle till complete success.

He welcomed the latest thaw in Indo-Pak relations but categorically declared that without the presence of actual stakeholders, the representative voices of Jammu and Kashmir, the talks would remain inconclusive. He asked the participants to strengthen Kashmir Centre.

Earlier, the Executive Director of Kashmir Centere London, Professor Nazir Ahmad Shawl welcomed the participants and briefed them about the work being done at the Kashmir Centre on different fronts. This is being done to keep international community and well-wishers of peace informed about the ground situation and invoking them to facilitate an honourable solution of this long lingering dispute, he maintained.

He hoped that the wisdom of the representatives assembled today would multiply these efforts by getting in touch with their respective parliamentarians in their constituencies.

The Chairman of Kashmir Centre Brussels, Barristers Abdul Majeed Tramboo on the occasion said that Kashmiri Diaspora living in Britain was a large populace outside the Jammu and Kashmir, adding that they needed to unite together and converge into a singular voice for highlighting their cause.

Irshad Malik, Secretary General of the Advisory Council, asked the participants to contribute to Kashmir struggle for freedom according to their capacity and wisdom.

Dr Khurshed Ahmed pleaded for conceptual understanding. He also asked the participants to network properly with Universities and think tanks. In this context he pleaded for Kashmir Awareness lectures for the youth who have to become the torch-bearers of the struggle in future.

Chaudhry Allah Ditta asked the participants to learn from the past and focus on the present for better results.

Chaudhry Sabir Hussian, Chief Co-Ordinator of Kashmir Centre Advisory Council thanked the participants for their intellectual inputs and asked them to continue this good work at their respective places.
Asghar Ali pleaded for widening the spectrum of debate and get united on a single point agenda of right to self determination.

Mohsin Nazir and Sajid Yousaf played an important role in managing and organizing this convention in a meticulous way.

At the end of the deliberations a decleration was unanimously adopted which reads as under

1. Declaration
2. This declaration is adopted by the UK wide representative convention of Kashmir centre London advisory council held at Birmingham UK on 3rd of April 2011.
3.  The state of Jammu and Kashmir is a United Nations mandated disputed territory. The political future is yet to be ascertained.
4. United Nations resolutions and the Charter of United Nations guarantee the right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which needs to be redeemed to them under United Nations auspices.
5. The mechanisms of UN needs to be invoked by the international community to hold the promised plebiscite or referendum in the disputed territory.
6. We welcome India Pakistan resumption of talks and putting the peace process back on rails. This process could break the ice and could become result oriented if the basic stake holders the representatives of Kashmir are made an integral part of this process.
7. International community particularly the G8 and P5 should facilitate the process.
8. A conducive environment should be created in Indian occupied Kashmir where gross human rights violations are continuing as a consequence of state violence. 
9. Amnesty international’s latest disclosures should be taken seriously by the International community.
10. The latest report of human rights situation in 26 countries released by Honourable William Hague has ignored the massive human rights violations committed by Indian state in Indian held Kashmir. We would request the APPG on Kashmir to take up the issue with the secretary of foreign Affairs. 
11. All political detainees including Mian Abdul Qayoom, Ghulam Nabi Shaheen, Ghulam Nabi Sumjee and others should be released.
12. Retired Major Avtar Singh should be brought to justice. He murdered Jalil Andrabi chairman Council of journalists in cold blood. 
13. All draconian Laws like AFSPA and PSA should be immediately withdrawn by Government of India.
14. Government of India and Pakistan should facilitate an intra and inter dialogue between the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the ceasefire line.
15. All the interested parties on the issue of Kashmir will work with Kashmir Centre’s to promote and project the Kashmir cause in the united Kingdom, European Union, commonwealth, united States and others parts of the world. 

Conclusion
Finally we reiterate the pledge that we will remain committed to the legitimate struggle of people of Jammu and Kashmir for self-determination and raise it at every forum and lobby support with our parliament members and policy makers.