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Islamabad, At a conference held in the British Parliament, organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), UK parliamentarians voiced significant concerns about the ongoing human rights abuses in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, JKLF’s chief spokesman, Muhammad Rafiq Dar, relayed that the conference highlighted the plight of the Kashmiri people and called for the release of all political prisoners, including JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik. Malik is currently serving a life sentence in India, convicted on charges that supporters claim are contrived and politically motivated by India’s National Investigation Agency under the direction of the BJP-led government.
The event, chaired by Richard Burgon MP from Leeds East, saw participation from over a dozen British MPs including Alex Sobel, Andy McDonald, Rachel Hopkins, Khalid Mehmood, Mohammed Yasin, and others who discussed the severe conditions faced by those in IIOJK. They condemned the continuous violations of human rights and demanded immediate action to end these abuses.
Speakers at the conference emphasized that the Kashmir issue is not merely a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan but rather a matter concerning the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. They proposed that the UK Parliament form a ‘Fact Finding Mission’ of MPs to visit IIOJK and directly assess the human rights situation, advocating for unrestricted public access for this mission.
The call from British MPs for international scrutiny and intervention highlights the global concern regarding the stability and human rights conditions in Kashmir. This meeting marks a significant international effort to bring attention to the ongoing crisis in the region.