All CategoriesAre the real Kashmiris setting the agenda?Over the last fifty odd years there has been a lot of rhetoric and rhetoric about Kashmir by its self appointed advocates and representatives, also it has been over fifty years since Kashmiris from all regions, religions, walk of life and various political beliefs and persuasions had seen each other let alone sit and discuss things. International Kashmir Alliance (IKA) is pioneer in this. IKA provided this opportunity in 2004 in London by hosting first ever intra Kashmir conference in which people from all regions of Jammu Kashmir state participated, followed by second in Canada and third one in Brussels. By hosting these conferences IKA has put pressure on various Indo/Pak representatives to hold such meetings, which are instrumental in confidence building, by addressing some of the myths and perceptions created through lack of opportunities for Kashmiris to meet each other.
IKA has moved the discussion forward step-by-step for example in London it seemed to me that it was an opportunity to know each other and let the participants express their grievances through an open forum. I did not have an opportunity to attend Canadian conference, but in Brussels the agenda moved from get together to solid way forward, resolutions and recommendations. Following themes emerged from the conference:
Ø Secession of all hostilities and violence by all concern
Ø Demilitarisation by all parties
Ø Freedom of movement and repatriation of all displaced people with dignity this includes Pundits and Pahari region.
Ø Restoration of all pre 1947 trade routs
Ø Preservation of State identity as Kashmiri this includes restoration of state subject in Gilgit /Baltistan and a democratic representation in this area.
Ø Release of all political prisoners from all parts of Jammu Kashmir.
There were many more recommendations such as Mangla dam; I do not want to go in to more details. However, what I would say is that the conference was a big success in moving the reconciliation agenda forward. The IKA initiative set the wheal moving in the right direction.
It can also be seen from a conference in Jammu and Delhi where across Line of control Kashmiri politicians are participating; there will be another conference in Brussels next month. There is no doubt these are state sponsored conferences never the less these have intra Kashmir dimension to it which is a way forward in reconciliation and confidence building and Kashmiri inclusion in any future Kashmir solution, the credit goes to IKA for pioneering this trend.
I never dreamt of actually listening to ex- Chief minister of Indian controlled Kashmir Dr Farooq Abdullah to say “The Kashmiri identity must be preserved, the boarders should be made irrelevant, Freedom of trade and repatriation is a must and Kashmiris are the party to any future negotiation”
Dr Riaz Punjabi emphasised on the importance of” Kinship by meeting Kashmiris from all parts of the state, Kashmir holds key to all other problems in the region and a formula on resolving Kashmir Issue could be applied elsewhere and he pointed out that the western governments encourage conflict resolution conferences yet Belgian Embassy refused many visas and Pakistani government created many obstacles for the potential participants, he further suggested the importance of freedom of movement across LOC and kinship”
Shamas Rehman emphasised “The Kashmiri Diaspora can play a vital role in reconciliation after all the IKA consists of Kashmiri Diaspora who are pioneering this intra Kashmir conference, he along with Nazam Bhatti talked about business and investment opportunities by the Diaspora both In Kashmir and export”
Professor Warikoo talked about decentralised powers like Ladakh Hill council and he emphasized on secession of all hostilities, repatriation of all displaced people with dignity and freedom of movement.
Hashim Qurashi/Dr Charles Grace/Shoukat Kashmiri talked about Human rights, freedom of movement, need for Kashmiri identity to be recognise in the west where Kashmiri Diaspora is, and return of all Refugees including Pundits.
Yousaf Tarigami emphasized on act 370, cession of terrorism by all concern, respect of human rights and opening of the LOC for kinship and trade.
Zafar Minas/ Naseem Iqbal emphasized on identity and peoples rights in Gilgit/ Baltistan and reinstatement of the state subject and some representative voice for the people of that area.
Clare Davis expressed confidence in recent progress in dialogue on Kashmir and only if it is seen through with Kashmiri inclusion
Murjan Lucas emphasized on a meaning full dialogue and implementation, more action less talk
Mahmood Kashmiri in his short Paper expressed concerns on the human rights situation in Gilgit Baltistan
Sardar Jamil talked about prisoners held in Indian Jails who have served their terms but Pakistan is not taking them back one such example he gave was of Sardar Raouf Kashmiri.
There were many more papers and contributions on subjects like Mangla dam, Human rights abuses by India/Pakistan and internal militancy, Rights or lack of it. Reporting news was another issue, it is always bias against Kashmiris and it gives one prospective or another, which hinders reconciliation.
Finally, I thank all the organisers, IKA and the funders for providing us an opportunity for intra Kashmir view exchange/information sharing.
About the author:
Mr. Daalat Ali (Ali Adalat) is a Public servant in United Kingdom and a
Pahari writer, author of two books in Pahari, Punch-na-Sarmad, Taharan-ni-Agh and two more books in print.
Kashmir National Identity Campaign (KNIC) UK coordinator.
Mr. Daalat Ali can be contacted by e.mail: daalat.ali@leeds.gov.uk or by snail mail at
02,Rough Hey Walk, Newbold, Rochdale, OL16 5SU, United Kingdom. | 
