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ByICHD

Ali Raza Syed, president of ICHD pays tribute to  July 13 martyrs  

Brussels,  ICHD president,  Ali Raza Syed: “Kashmiri martyrs of 13 July 1931 made a great story of sacrifices. We can not forget these martyrs.” 

Chair of KE-EU this said while addressing a gathering in Brussels on occasion of the martyrdom day in remembrance of martyrs of 13 July 1931 of Srinagar. He said, by providing their bloods these martyrs provided foundation of freedom movement. The gathering was arranged by KC-EU at its secretariat in the EU’s headquarters. 

It is important to mention that on 13 July 1931, a large number of Kashmiris flocked to the central jail in Srinagar to see the trial of a Kashmiri namely Abdul Qadeer. Then Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir ordered his soldiers to open fire on them, in total 22 Kashmiris died in the firing. 

Chair of KE-EU asked the international community including EU to play their role for implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights giving the right to of self-determination to the Kashmiri people. 

Ali Raza Syed called India for withdrawal of its occupation forces, an end to its state terrorism, end of genocidal repression, rape, gang-rape, torture, and degrading treatment with men, women, and children in the occupied Kashmir. He called for unconditionally release of all Kashmiri prisoners including political figures and human rights defenders. 

Dr. Syed Sibtain Shah, a researcher of International Relations and Director (Research) of Global Strategic Studies Institute (GSSI), addressed the event via video link. He stated that martyrdom is a great inspiring rank and that martyrs strengthen national unity by sacrificing their lives for a noble cause like freedom. He remarked that nations that honor their martyrs inevitably attain freedom. While the path of freedom movements is fraught and difficult with challenges, patience, endurance, but sustained struggle are essential for success. 

Ch. Khalid Mahmood Joschi, president Kashmir Diaspora Alliance Europe and Sardar Saddique, a prominent Kashmir figure and Saleem Mehom a social figure and Sarim Fiaz, Scholar of European institute for Asian Studies, Ankara University were among the other speakers. 

President Pakistan Press Club Belgium Ch. Imran Saqib moderated the gathering. Shiraz Raj, Unib Rashid, Nadeem Butt, Syed Nasir Shah, Syed Zahid Hussain Shah and Mehr Nadeem were among the prominent figures, intellectuals and social activists who attended the gathering. Participants also offered pray for the martyrs of Kashmir. 

The speakers of the gathering said that atrocities committed by the Indian forces against the oppressed Kashmiris is rapidly going on and specially its increased since Indian Modi regime revoked special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. 

They also asked the international community to play its role for a peaceful resolution of Kashmir and participation of the Kashmiri leadership in all round of the peace process on Kashmir should be ensured. 

ByICHD

Pakistan 79 years of independence: a nation shaped by sacrifice, strengthened by resilience

As Pakistan marks 79 years as an independent state, Aug. 14 serves as both a celebration of freedom and a reminder of the struggle, sacrifices and responsibilities that have shaped the country’s journey.

The creation of Pakistan followed years of political struggle and the partition of British India. Millions of people migrated across the newly drawn borders, while families were separated and countless lives were lost amid the violence and upheaval.

The sacrifices of political workers, families and ordinary citizens remain an important part of Independence Day commemorations.

As Pakistan celebrates its 79th Independence Day, perhaps the finest way to honour 14 August is not simply to look back with pride, but to look forward with purpose. Let us celebrate a Pakistan that has survived against formidable odds, while believing in a Pakistan that can rise beyond them. May the coming years bring us closer to a country where justice is trusted, knowledge is valued, merit is rewarded, diversity is embraced and every citizen feels an equal owner of the national destiny. The Pakistan as it was inherited was a hard-won achievement; the Pakistan its people leave behind must be the greatest contribution.

ByICHD

Through the lens of resilience: Renowned Belgian photojournalist unveils ‘Kashmir: wait and see’ in Islamabad

Islamabad: A landmark pictorial book documenting nearly a decade of life and conflict in the disputed territory of Kashmir premiered in Pakistan’s capital on Monday, bringing a European lens to the human rights situation in the region. The book, titled “Kashmir: Wait and See,” authored by internationally acclaimed Belgian photojournalist Cedric Gerbehaye, was unveiled at the National Council of the Arts in an event attended by a high-profile assembly of diplomats, intellectuals, and political figures, including former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed.

The publication is the culmination of eight years of field research and photography across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Organizers stated that the work serves as a “crucial tool” to highlight the human dimension of the conflict, featuring stark visual narratives that range from pellet-gun victims in the Kashmir Valley to residents of border villages along the Line of Control (LoC) who live under the constant threat of cross-border shelling. The project arrived in Islamabad following its international debut at the “Visa pour l’Image” festival in Perpignan, France, where it drew global attention to the cultural resilience and political struggles of the Kashmiri people.

Ali Raza Syed, President of the Brussels-based human rights organization, ICHD and chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU), led a seven-member European delegation to the launch, emphasizing that the book is a cornerstone of an ongoing campaign to seek a resolution to the dispute in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. He noted that the objective of the exhibition is to inform and influence international policymakers by moving beyond political rhetoric and focusing on the fundamental right to self-determination. The Council has spent years advocating within European parliamentary circles, using such documentary evidence to keep the Kashmir issue on the diplomatic agenda.

The Islamabad exhibition, which remains open through January 28, marks the beginning of a multi-city tour. The European delegation and the author are scheduled to hold subsequent exhibitions in Muzaffarabad from January 29 to 31, followed by stops in Mirpur on February 1 and 2. The tour will conclude in Lahore with a four-day event ending on February 8, coinciding with regional observances of Kashmir Solidarity Day. The initiative reflects an increasing effort by advocacy groups to utilize high-end photojournalism as a medium for international legal and moral advocacy in one of the world’s most long-standing territorial disputes.

ByICHD

Exhibition of European photo-journalist’s book on Kashmir held in Muzaffarabad

Muzaffarabad: A two-day exhibition of the pictorial book “Kashmir: Wait and See” by European photo-journalist Cédric Gerbehaye was held at the Prime Minister’s House in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The exhibition was inaugurated by AJK PM, Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the event was attended by the book’s author, Cédric Gerbehaye, and Ali Raza Syed, president of the Brussels-based human right organization ICHD and the Chairman of the Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU) who is also the organizer of the book’s introductory and promotional events and exhibitions in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. Human rights activist Marjan Lucas from the Netherlands, Hungarian intellectual Endre Barcs, and a Korean delegation, along with prominent personalities and government officials of Azad Kashmir, were also present.

PM Faisal Rathore praised the publication of the book and commended the role of the book’s author Sedric Gerbhaye and KCEU’s Ali Raza Syed and his team in its publication and promotion. He expressed hope that the publication of this book and the exhibition of the photographs contained within it would help highlight India’s atrocities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and draw attention to the unresolved Kashmir dispute.

ByICHD

EU journalist’s powerful pictorial book on Kashmir hits Lahore

Lahore. A touching exhibition of European photojournalist Cedric Gerbehaye’s pictorial book “Kashmir: Wait and See” has kick-started in Lahore, reflecting on the struggles and resilience of Kashmiris.

The five-day event at the National College of Arts showcases Gerbehaye’s eight-year work, capturing the essence of Kashmir, its people, and their deteriorating social and political conditions under Indian occupation.

The book launch, part of a series in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, coincides with Kashmir Solidarity Day, emphasizing the need for international attention to the Kashmir issue.

ByICHD

Kashmiris’ struggle to persist until rights recognized: Ali Raza Syed

The struggle for self-determination will continue until Kashmiris’ rights are recognized, said Ali Raza Syed, President of ICHD and Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU), at a webinar titled “5th January: Kashmir, the United Nations, and the Demands of Justice”.

Ali Raza Syed urged the international community to pressure India to halt human rights abuses in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) and hold a UN-supervised plebiscite, condemning India’s actions as violating international law and human rights principles.

Speakers highlighted the dire situation in IOJK, including restrictions on gatherings, communication, and enforced disappearances, demanding the international community act to prevent human rights violations and resolve the Kashmir issue peacefully.

ByICHD

Khurram Parvez, well known human rights activist freed on bail

Indian authorities have released prominent Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez on bail after five years in prison on “terrorism”, although he remains under tight court-imposed restrictions.

Parvez walked free from a New Delhi jail, their relatives said, as India’s National Investigation Agency seeks to overturn their bail.

Parvez, a programme coordinator for the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), was arrested in 2021 by the National Investigation Agency at his home in Srinagar. He face charges of “funding terrorism” and “propagation of secessionist agenda” under India’s stringent “antiterrorism” laws, which in effect allow authorities to hold people without trial indefinitely.

The National Investigation Agency accuses him of using the JKCCS to fund militant-linked activities and promote a separatist agenda, while he denies the allegations.

“I realized that I can do something which is more meaningful, where I would be involved in saving lives and not inciting violence, and not becoming part of revenge.” -Parvez says.

Founder and Programme Coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and the Chair of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, a collective of 13 non-governmental organisations from ten Asian countries, Khurram Parvez relentlessly investigated and reported on violations in Kashmir, including the indefinite detention and extrajudicial execution of activists, torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and widespread impunity. Despite facing repression and attacks by State and non-State actors, he courageously continued to denounce violations of rights and became an inspiration to young Kashmiris as well as students from India and abroad whom he encouraged to seek peaceful conflict resolution. He also engaged with the United Nations and other international organisations to develop global solidarity for Kashmiris.

¨The soft-spoken Khurram is almost a modern-day David who gave a voice to families that lost their children to enforced disappearances, allegedly by the Indian State. Khurram is the story and the storyteller of the insurgency and the betrayal of the people of Kashmir¨ – Rana Ayyub , journalist wrote when Parvez received the Martin Ennals Awards.