Sada-e-Watan Sydney
sadaewatan@gmail.com
Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir observed
across Australia & Pak High Commission arranged a webinar
On Monday 5th August
2024, Youm-e-Istehsal was observed across Australia, with multiple events
organized across major cities, including Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, and
Brisbane. Car rallies featuring pictures that expressed support for Kashmiris
and their quest for justice and self-determination also gained a lot of public
attention.
To commemorate the
day, the High Commission for Pakistan in Canberra organised a webinar titled
“Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir: 77 Years of Occupation and Oppression”. The event
featured several distinguished panellists who provided insightful remarks on
the situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The keynote speakers
included Honourable Senator David Shoebridge, Honourable Senator Lee Rhiannon,
Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, and Professor Samina Yasmeen.
Senator Hon. David Shoebridge
Honourable Senator
David Shoebridge, Senator for New South Wales, condemned India’s unilateral and
illegal actions of 5 August 2019. He provided a comprehensive overview of the
humanitarian situation in IIOJK before and after this date. Senator Shoebridge
criticized the Indian attempts to bring about a demographic change in IIOJK
that contravenes UNSC resolutions, the 4th Geneva Convention, and international
law. He highlighted that India was trying to convert the Kashmiri people into a
minority in their own land by confiscating their property and distributing it
to the Indian citizens. He urged Australia to play its role in achieving a fair
and just resolution of the IIOJK dispute.
The Honourable Senator
Lee Rhiannon, former Senator for New South Wales, remarked on the legal and
human rights dimensions of the IIOJK dispute. She stated that India’s
polarizing policies would have long-term implications not only for IIOJK but
also for India itself. Senator Rhiannon urged the international community to
call upon India to stop its oppression of the Kashmiri people.
Syed Faiz Naqshbandi
Syed Faiz Naqshbandi,
Attorney at Law and Consultant on Human Rights & International Law,
described the Indian illegal actions of 5 August as a conspiracy to further
deprive the people of IIOJK of their right to self-determination and to
perpetuate India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. He emphasized that
the people of IIOJK were resilient and would never surrender.
Professor Samina
Yasmeen
Professor Samina
Yasmeen from the University of Western Australia highlighted the broader
implications of the IIOJK dispute. She warned that India's actions would have
long-lasting repercussions not only for the region but for the international
community as well. She called for a united global effort to address the crisis
in IIOJK.
The High Commissioner
H.E. Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in his remarks, thanked all the speakers for their
valuable contributions. He highlighted the historic role played by Australia in
the IIOJK dispute, noting that Australia was a founding member of the United Nations
Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and that Sir Owen
Dixon, the 6th Chief Justice of Australia, was the first UN mediator between
India and Pakistan.
He reminded the
international community of its obligations to seek just resolution of the Jammu
and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UNSC resolutions and the aspirations
of the Kashmiri people.
The High Commissioner Chaudhri
also briefed the audience on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in IIOJK. He
reiterated that Pakistan would continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its
Kashmiri brothers and sisters until the resolution of the IIOJK dispute.
Asiya Mahar, Yawar Abbas, High
Commissioner Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri and Mr Arshad Abbasi
