Activist: Kashmir crisis, legacy of British colonization.

London, Jan 23, IRNA - Javid Kakroo, Secretary to Kashmir Voice International told IRNA that the humanitarian crisis in Kashmir is the legacy of British colonization. In an interview with IRNA in London, the British political activist said, 'We need to understand the reasons for their sufferings; the reason is that people of Kashmir don’t want to be part of India and they don’t want to be part of Pakistan, either. 'The promises have never been fulfilled; 100 thousand of people have died, children have been blinded, woman being raped, these are happening because people of Kashmir are asking their basic rights, but its been denied.' So how much more the world want the Kashmiri people to suffer, I fail to understand, said Kakroo. The following is an excerpt of the interview: Q. What has been the International community responses to Kashmiri crisis? A. The problem is that the Kashmir issue has been always looked as a problem between India and Pakistan and internationally this problem has been looked as an economic relation between the two countries. They are not bothered about what has been happening in Kashmir, they are only bothered about what kind of relations they have with India and Pakistan, but Internationally, there has been not a response; I think there is a reason for that, that is that the international community has not been given the real perspective of the problem. Either that problem has been projected as an Indian problem or that has been projected as a Pakistani problem. It has not been projected as the problem of the Kashmiris. So the international community besides having their own economic interests have failed to play any role because it has not been put forward to them in its real perspective. Q. Which country is more to blame for the crisis in Kashmir? A. If we were to look at the promises, then both the countries are to be blamed. But when we take into account the human rights violations India is to blamed because we cannot equate the violations of human right. If the Pakistanis say that UN resolution must be implemented, there are some sections in the UN resolution which says that Pakistan has to withdraw its all forces from Kashmir, is Pakistan ready to do that? Has Pakistan given us any kind of indication of doing this? NO Is India ready to do this? Have they done it? NO Q. What can be the solution? A. There can be lots of solutions. The basic question is that if the UN are being kept as the basic, I don’t think that within 17 yeas they would be implemented. The basic thing is both the countries India and Pakistan have to show that they are ready to do that. Once they are ready to move forward and ignore their differences, there will be lots of solutions which is acceptable to the people of Kashmir. Q. Why do you think that the British PM did not raise the issue of Kashmir when she went to India? A. The world has got economic concepts and relations in their mind; Kashmir is not producing any oil. Kashmir is not producing any gold or mines. But it is known as heaven on the earth. So if there is no oil, if there is no wealth, if there is no gold, the rest of the world is not bothered; but when they talk about Kashmir, they are saying that its an issue between India and Pakistan. So they are making it a bilateral issue. But the question is that it is not a bilateral issue; its an issue between India, Pakistan and Kashmir, so when all the 3 parties meet, if they have some solutions, they should come and I think Britain has a responsibility for that, because it was a legacy of Britain; they should do something. When the British came back in 1947, India became one country and Pakistan became another country. Kashmir being an independent country at that time, became the hostage between the two countries; this is the legacy of Britain which they have to resolve accordingly and let Kashmiris receive what they deserve. 1378/IRNA