Kashmir struggle is a fight for self-determination and self-respect: Khurram Per vez Submitted by admin on 11 October 2011 - 6:27am

India News Indian Muslim By TCN News Hyderabad: President of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, Khurram Pa rvez who visited Hyderabad to attend a Human Rights conference, while delivering his speech at Civil Liberties office said that the right to self determination is the birth right of Kashmiri people. To crush the right to freedom, the Indian government is committing a crime against humanity. Indian state considers itsel f a democratic country but always ignores the popular demand of Kashmir. Mr. Pervez said that according to estimates, since 1990 around 70,000 people hav e been killed in Kashmir and numbers of disappeared is estimated to be around 8, 000. Mass graves, torture, rapes are part of the Kashmir tragic story, said Mr. Parvez who is a human rights activist in the valley.

Khurram Pervez addressing the gathering. Pervez termed the Kashmir struggle as a fight for self-determination and self-re spect. He said that mhe militants in Kashmir are only about 400 to 500 in number . But, there is seven lakh Indian armed forces in Kashmir. He expressed concern that the corruption is visible to the Indian civil society but they cannot see the atrocities in Kashmir. He wondered why Indian Muslims co ndemn and protest against the atrocities in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine, but close their eyes when it comes to Kashmir. He also said that somewhere it is de eply rooted in the minds of Indian Muslims, that they are secondary citizens bec ause of this they cannot express their feelings openly. He asked the people who demand separate Telangana state, why don t they speak on Kas hmir issue? Wherein, the history of both these regions is same and is facing sam e kind of problems. He said that it is the responsibility of Muslims to raise vo ice against the atrocities done on Kashmiri people and put pressure on Indian go vernment to provide justice to the Kashmiris. He favoured Telangana movement and said that the Telangana state that is going to be formed should be based on dem ocracy and secularism. Justice should be done to the Muslims and proper share sh ould be given to the Muslims in the formation of the new government.

On this occasion, Mr. Lateef Mohd. Khan, General Secretary of the Civil Libertie s Monitoring Committee said that his organization supports the right to self-det ermination of Kashmiri people and respects the popular demand of azaadi. The committe also demands the Indian government to withdraw army from Kashmir. The massacre of Kashmiri people should be stopped immediately. The self-determination of Kash miri people should be recognized. Civil Liberties wants to make it clear that Ka shmir is neither of Pakistan s nor India s, but it is of Kashmiri people; the right to ecide about it is only of Kashmiris.

Lateef Mohd. Khan, General Secretary of the Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee speaking.

Dr. Rafat Seema, general Secretary of Nisa said that Nisa Research and Resource Centre for Women express its solidarity with the Kashmiri people and demanded th e Indian government to resolve the Kashmir problem. Until the issue is resolved the development will be affected and problems will increase. She also said that the regions may be different but the relation is same, therefore, Kashmiri peopl e are remembered in our prayers. CLMCI is a Hyderabad-based Human Rights organization. Link: