WASHINGTON
\nThe head of Kashmir Diaspora Coalition (KDC), an umbrella organization of Kashmiri diaspora bodies, has called on Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto to reaffirm Pakistan\u2019s unwavering stand for Kashmiri people\u2019s right to self-determination during his upcoming visit to India.
\nThe foreign minister is set to participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held on May 4-5 in Panaji, the capital of Goa.
\nIn a statement, Dr Ghulam N. Mir, chairman of KDA, said that while they feel Pakistan should have abstained from participation, the minister must make it clear that there will be no talks with India unless the Modi government reverses Article 35 A of India\u2019s Constitution, which accords special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and especially the \u2018Domicile Law\u2019 that is aimed at changing the demography of the disputed state.
\nThe Foreign minister\u2019s interaction with his counterparts as well as Indian media provides him an opportunity to spell out India\u2019s controversial decision to hold a G20 meeting in the internationally recognized disputed territory of Kashmir, Mir said.
\n\u201cHe (Bilawal) must tell his counterparts that its aim is to divert global attention from the core issue of the occupation of a people without their consent,\u201d the KDA chairman said, adding that it undermines the legitimacy of the Kashmiris\u2019 demand for a plebiscite in accordance with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
\n\u201cThe foreign minister must also demand the unconditional release of all political prisoners who have been wrongfully detained under politically motivated \u2018Unlawful Activities Prevention Act\u2019 (UAPA) which is designed to harass, assault and imprison Kashmir\u2019s human rights activists, political leaders, and journalists,\u201d he said.
\nOne prime example cited was that of Khurram Parvez, an internationally recognized human rights defender about whom UN\u2019s Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor has said, \u2018Khurram Parvez is not a terrorist. He is a human rights defender.\u2019
\nThe Kashmir Diaspora Coalition (KDC) has six international affiliates: World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Washington, DC; Kashmir House Istanbul; Kashmir Civitas, Canada; World Kashmir Freedom Movement, London; Tehreek-Kashmir, UK and Europe and Kashmir Campaign Global, London.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON The head of Kashmir Diaspora Coalition (KDC), an umbrella organization of Kashmiri diaspora bodies, has called on Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari Bhutto to reaffirm Pakistan\u2019s unwavering stand for Kashmiri people\u2019s right to self-determination during his upcoming visit to India. The foreign minister is set to participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-329096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n