By Naeem Khan Niazi
LAHORE, Jan 31 (APP):Kashmir is a litany of betrayal, subjugation, persecution and unfulfilled promises as the Muslims of Indian Occupied Kashmir have waited for decades to be free from Indian yoke after they were denied right to self-determination at the time of partition of Bharat in 1947.
Pakistan has always provided moral, diplomatic, and ethical support to the Kahsmiris whose old, young and children have been tormented unremorsefully by the tyrannical Indian government. Pakistani leadership from Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Prime Minister Imran Khan have raised voice towards the sorry plight of the Kahsmiri people in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar is another forceful voice who has worked tirelessly to arouse conscience of the world powers to the humanitarian crisis in the South Asia. He has been working tirelessly for decades to seek a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.
What sets Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar from his peers apart is his political and diplomatic expertise as a British Parliament before renouncing his dual British citizenship in 2013 to start political career in Pakistan. Chaudhry Sarwar, during his days at the House of Common, consistently raised voice for the Kashmiri and Palestinian Muslims. Over the years the Governor Punjab has emerged as the most potent voice on Kashmir issue in the country.
Long political career in the House of Commons enabled Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar to develop strong political linkages with politicians in the British and European parliament and this how he is more successful to secure GSP plus status, plead case on FATF, and expose Indian brutalities in the occupied Kashmir. His efforts on the diplomatic front have paid off with the renewed realization among politicians of the world to the sorry plight of the Kashmiris in the world.
Sarwar has successfully exposed monstrous face of the Indian government after the enactment of controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 which is bent upon exterminating Muslim minority in India. In January 2020, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar wrote to the member of the European Parliament and apprised them of the injustice being meted out to the Kashmiris in the IIOJK.
Vice President European Parliament Fabio Massimo Castaldo, as result of Sarwar’s diplomatic efforts, visited Pakistan and assured the Pakistani people to raise the issue at the European Parliament.
On January 13 this year, British parliamentarian Sarah Owen from Luton North moved a debate in the House of Commons to discuss the deplorable situation in occupied Kashmir.
The debate is vivid proof that the civilized world recognises Kashmir as a disputed area and supports the cause of hapless Kashmiris.
Talking to APP, on the eve of 1st February – the month to show solidarity with the downtrodden Kashmiris, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar underlined the need to engage international community in order to win international support for the freedom of Kashmiri people where men and women have suffered for over seven decades.
“Pakistani diaspora in the United States (US) like their compatriots in UK, should take active part in politics as a few members in the Congress and Senate could make a case for their community and country of their birth”, he responded.
“International relationships matter a lot in today’s world and our politicians need to foster good relations with foreign colleagues as these help us to depict Pakistan’s liberal image, raise Kashmir issue in a better way”, he replied.
On Kashmir and exposing India’s extremist agenda, Kashmiris were victims of worst state terrorism and this is where the role of international community arises as a moral responsibility, adding he held webinars during the lockdown to keep the world abreast of the situation.
“We must reach out to the international community and make them understand that India stands in violation of international commitments and statutes by not holding the plebiscite – a solemn pledge made at the floor of the United Nations (UN)”, he stressed.