The Embassy of Pakistan Berlin organized a Seminar titled: “Geo-Politics of South Asia” at the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) Berlin, on 27th October 2015, to mark the Kashmir Black Day. Prominent Kashmiri rights activists Miss Riffat Wani, and Dr. Manzoor Nowshari also participated in the seminar, attended by a large number of students, researchers, representatives of German media and Kashmiri and Pakistani community in Berlin. Ambassador Syed Hasan Javed in his remarks observed that 67 years back, on 27th October, India sent its troops to occupy Kashmir valley, using the flimsy grounds of tribal invasion from Pakistan and controversial accession of the valley with India by Mahraja Hari Singh. Subsequently, it was India that took the Kashmir issue to the United Nations and pledged to hold a plebiscite in the valley under the UN auspices. However, in spite of the lapse of 67 years, India has still to deliver on its promise. Today, with 500,000 Indian troops stationed in Kashmir, the valley has become the biggest “military concentration zone” in the world, with deaths, disappearances, extra-judicial killings and other heinous human rights violations taking place on a mass scale, under the notorious Armed Forces Special Powers Act. He emphasized that elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not a substitute for plebiscite, as demanded by the people of Kashmir. He emphasised that India cannot sustain indefinitely the “siege within and a siege without”. He underlined that the only way to ensure lasting peace in South Asia is through resolving Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. He stated that the world cannot live in peace with double standards. Ms Riffat Wani in her remarks highlighted the serious human rights violations taking place in the occupied-Kashmir under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. She highlighted that the impunity with which the people of Kashmir were being brutalized by Indian occupying forces needed to be taken notice of. She stated that millions of people in occupied-Kashmir were living in a state of fear and hopelessness. She also highlighted the recent move by the BJP government of settling Hindus from other parts of India in the occupied valley. She stressed that the Kashmiris will never allow India to convert their homeland into another Gaza. She also highlighted the plight of other minorities under the current BJP government. She questioned as to why justice was an exception in Indian-occupied Kashmir, if it was an integral part of India. Dr. Manzoor Nowshari in his remarks called on the world community to rise in support of the people of Kashmir who were making huge sacrifices to get the right of self determination, promised to them by the world community 67 years ago. Earlier, Dr. Mark Donfried, Chief Executive of the ICD in his remarks said that peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute was absolutely necessary for lasting peace in South Asia. Prior to the speeches, one minutes silence was observed, to pay homage to those who sacrificed their lives for raising their voice for human rights and justice. A documentary with historical perspective of the Kashmir issue and glimpses from Aljazeera’s “Inside Story” focused on the human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, were also screened. An extensive Q&A session was held towards the end of the seminar. Here are a few glimpses of the event.

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