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Briefing to the dignitaries from Pakistan

The ICHD hosted a reception in honour of the visiting parliamentary delegation of Pakistan in Brussels on January 27, 2010. The delegation included Chairman Senate, Mr.Farooq H. Naik, Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, Senator Kazim Khan, Senator Mir Muhammad Ali Rind, Senator Gulsham Saeed and Senator Khatu Mal Jeevan.
 
On the occasion, Chairman ICHD, Mr.Ali Raza Syed briefed the delegation about the activities of ICHD for promoting the cause of Kashmir and bringing peace in the South Asian region. He said that International Council for Human Development (ICHD) was actively working for awareness building and lobbying for the resolution of Kashmir issue. He said that they were struggling to highlight the plight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir who had been deprived of their right to self-determination for 62 years. He emphasised that it was the moral duty of international community to support the innocent and deserving people of Kashmir.
 
The Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Mr.Farooq Naik said that Pakistan had always supported the people of Jammu and Kashmir in political and diplomatic fronts and shall continue to do so in all of its moral, political and diplomatic capacities. He expressed hope that the resumption of talks between India and Pakistan would be helpful in order to facilitate peace in South Asia especially in the context of the Kashmir conflict. He also praised the efforts of Mr.Ali Raza Syed and his team to defend rights of the people of Kashmir and highlight the Kashmir conflict in Europe. Ali Shahnawaz Khan, the executive director of Kashmir Scandianvian Council was also present on the occasion.

Briefing to the dignitaries from Pakistan

The ICHD hosted a reception in honour of the visiting parliamentary delegation of Pakistan in Brussels on January 27, 2010. The delegation included Chairman Senate, Mr.Farooq H. Naik, Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, Senator Kazim Khan, Senator Mir Muhammad Ali Rind, Senator Gulsham Saeed and Senator Khatu Mal Jeevan.
 
On the occasion, Chairman ICHD, Mr.Ali Raza Syed briefed the delegation about the activities of ICHD for promoting the cause of Kashmir and bringing peace in the South Asian region. He said that International Council for Human Development (ICHD) was actively working for awareness building and lobbying for the resolution of Kashmir issue. He said that they were struggling to highlight the plight of the people of Jammu and Kashmir who had been deprived of their right to self-determination for 62 years. He emphasised that it was the moral duty of international community to support the innocent and deserving people of Kashmir.
 
The Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Mr.Farooq Naik said that Pakistan had always supported the people of Jammu and Kashmir in political and diplomatic fronts and shall continue to do so in all of its moral, political and diplomatic capacities. He expressed hope that the resumption of talks between India and Pakistan would be helpful in order to facilitate peace in South Asia especially in the context of the Kashmir conflict. He also praised the efforts of Mr.Ali Raza Syed and his team to defend rights of the people of Kashmir and highlight the Kashmir conflict in Europe. Ali Shahnawaz Khan, the executive director of Kashmir Scandianvian Council was also present on the occasion.

First seminar on Kashmir at Belgium Parliament

The International Council for Human Development (ICHD) and IPC (IKV PAX) jointly organised a seminar titled as "Kashmir: the Key to Peace in Afghanistan" at Belgium Federal Parliament in Brussels on 26th January 2010. It was the first seminar organised in the national parliament of a European country on Kashmir issue. Belgium has key role in European Union and its capital Brussels is definite headquarter of the Union legislating activities.

Kashmiris in all over the world denounce the 26th January as black day to protest on atrocities in Indian held Kashmir. India celebrates the day as republic day but the Kashmiris reject the lofty claims of the Indian democracy while citing the grave human rights violations and brute atrocities being committed by the Indian forces in the held Kashmir. 

In the beginning, the organiser of the seminar, Ali Raza Syed, Chairman of ICHD, explained the importance of denouncing the Indian Republic Day as a Black Day. Marjan Lucas of IKC Pax Christi als spoke on the question. The prominent Kashmiri figure from Norwey, Sardar Ali Shahnawaz Khan also attended the first seminar on Kashmir at the Belgium parliament.

A number of European and Belgian parliamentarians and intellectuals including Mr,Georges Dallemange,  Ms. Danielle Caron, MP (Brussels Parliament),  Mr. Andre De Bus, MP (Brussels Parliament)and as well as Mr.Sajjad Karim, the prominent figure of EU parliament were among the speakers of the seminar. A conclusion of the seminar emphasized over the end of atrocities against the innocent people of Jammu and Kashmir and peaceful solution of the long lasting Kashmir dispute.

A response to the India by Marjan Lucas

The Netherlands, 11-2-2010

Condemning the Kashmir Discourse of 26th January 2010: India’s democratic deficit                 
 
It is unfortunate that India, claiming to be the largest democracy in the troublesome Asian region, condemns the fact that an international seminar on Kashmir took place, on 26th of January, in the heart of Belgian Democracy, being the House of National Parliament?
 
Two days before the International Conference on Afghanistan in London of January 28th , we as international scholars and members of Belgian and European Parliament, gathered in Brussels in the seminar titled: ‘Kashmir, Key to peace in Afghanistan’.  IKV Pax Christi co-organized the seminar that was eagerly welcomed and warmly applauded.
 
We aimed to identify essential roadblocks for international strategies to stabilize the South Asian region, interconnecting the debate on Afghanistan with the Kashmir Dispute.  The fact that the Kashmir Dispute is a serious roadblock in the way forward to stability and peace in South Asian is a notion any no longer denies in Europe. The European Parliament adopted various Resolutions on Kashmir, acknowledging Kashmir as India’s democratic deficit and disputed Indo-Pak nexus. 
 
A wide variety of sections of European political and civil society often formally and informally reiterate the urgency to keep Kashmir on the agenda in international discourses as, inter alia, the London Conference on Afghanistan.   Therefore, we (co-)organized the seminar ‘Kashmir: Key to Peace in Afghanistan’ on the very eve of that London conference: 26th of January, a day known a Black Day for anyone who advocates to resolve the dispute over Kashmir according to the promises that were, over six decades ago, given to the people living, working and dying in the very region of Kashmir.
 
As IKV Pax Christi we would expect a democracy like India to cherish and encourage debate and dialogue, and acknowledge our genuine democratic endeavors for conflict analyses and conflict-resolution.  It is sad however to be informed that India condemns our successful and well performed seminar, an evidence of democracy, in Brussels on 26th of January.        
 
We are grateful for, and pay respect to the Belgian Parliament to host us and participate in the session and thus show their support for dialogue as roadmap to peace.       
 
Signed as co-organizer of the seminar:
 
Drs. Mrs. Marjan Lucas
Senior Programme Officer
PO Box 19318, 3501 DH Utrecht
The Netherlands
lucas@ikvpaxchristi.nl
www.ikvpaxchristi.nl  

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