Diplomacy is the best way to achieve a lasting peace in South Asia by settling the Kashmir dispute: Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh
Reaffirming unwavering solidarity with the oppressed people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C., organized a seminar titled ‘Longstanding, Unresolved, and Unfinished Agenda: Important Aspects of the Kashmir Issue.’ The event aimed at highlighting key legal, political and security dimensions of this longstanding dispute, drawing the attention of the international community to its ramifications. It underscored India’s persistent refusal to honor its commitments, the unfulfilled promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the global community, and the implications of India’s unilateral action in 2019, that further destabilized the region. The seminar also explored viable pathways to addressing the unresolved issue.
The two-session event drew a diverse audience, including members of civil society, Pakistani Americans (particularly from Azad Jammu and Kashmir), media representatives, and students from various universities across Washington, D.C.
A distinguished panel of speakers contributed to the discussion, including international law experts Mr. Ali Unar, Mr. Arif Hyder Ali, and Mr. Mowahid Hussain Shah; Dr. Zulfiqar Kazmi, Founder of The Common Grounds USA; Ambassador Touqir Hussain, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University; and Mr. Lars Rise, Former Norwegian MP. Ch Muhammad Yasin, President PPP AJK also addressed the participants.
Special messages from the President of Pakistan, the Prime Minister, and the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister were read out on the occasion, followed by a documentary showcasing the struggle of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
In his address, Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh emphasized the significance of according primacy to diplomacy in resolving global issues, including the longstanding Kashmir dispute.
“The durable settlement of the Kashmir issue and a hope for lasting peace can be best accomplished through diplomacy,” Ambassador Sheikh stated. “We need to create a situation where India and Pakistan can have a dialogue which is meaningful and consequential. That’s the only way forward,” he added.
Highlighting the common genesis of both the Kashmir and Palestine issues, Ambassador Sheikh urged the international community to refocus its attention and play a proactive role in resolving these long-standing conflicts.
“The situation in Palestine and Kashmir affords us this opportunity to accord them a similar status. And if they are both taken together owing to a common genesis, each will reinforce or strengthen the other issue,” The steps taken by Indian government on and after August 5, 2019, are not legally tenable,” said the ambassador.
In this context the Ambassador highlighted relevance of UN Resolution 122, adopted on January 24, 1957, that reaffirmed the international nature of the Kashmir dispute and unambiguously pronounced that any unilateral action by either of the two parties to the dispute would not be a substitute to the prescribed solution of a UN-supervised plebiscite.
Mr. Ali Unar – Alumnus of UCLA – opined that owing to trust deficit between Pakistan and India, multilateral solution involving important countries, private sector and global business community should be involved, highlighting the economic benefit of peaceful Kashmir.
Mr. Arif Hyder Ali suggested making a claim before the conciliation commission, under the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, CERD Convention. He also proposed that a claim could be lodged based on violations of the apartheid convention. He also identified significant challenges to the rule of law at the international level.
Mr. Mawahid Hussain Shah, an Attorney at Law, in his remarks highlighted that ideas and resistance can never be crushed and the spirit of freedom and the quest for legitimate right to self-determination will live on through Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah and Syed Ali Gillani.
Former Ambassador Tauqir Hussain stressed that Kashmiris needed to make unilateral actions of 2019 untenable for India so that it is compelled to revert to negotiating table. He emphasized that India and Pakistan will have to find a way to settle the dispute through mutual understanding.
Mr. Lars Rise, Former Norwegian MP, highlighted that India was committing war crimes in occupied territory. He stressed that violations of human rights should be documented and this should be made part of foreign policy advocacy in the major world capitals.
Ch Muhammad Yasin highlighted the efforts to draw attention of the international community toward the longstanding issue.
Ambassador Sheikh concluded the seminar by thanking all participants, with special recognition to the students whose presence and active participation had enriched the event.
Washington, D.C. February 5, 2025
