Manchester: A special ceremony marking Kashmir Exploitation Day (Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir) was organised by the Consulate General of Pakistan in Manchester, where Member of Parliament Afzal Khan and Kashmiri leader Raja Najabat Hussain addressed the gathering, while Consul General Imtiaz Feroz Gondal delivered a special message from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
The event was attended by a large number of community leaders and distinguished guests, including Haroon Afzal Khattana, former Lord Mayor of Manchester Yasmine Dar, Chaudhry Tahir Siddique, Mahmood Khan, PML-N leader Nabeel Butt, Rasib Khan, Father Falak Sher, Tajammal Gurmani, Dr Younus Parwaiz, and many others.
Reading the Prime Minister’s message, Consul General Imtiaz Feroz Gondal said that the Kashmir dispute remains a major obstacle to peace and stability in South Asia. He emphasised that lasting peace in the region can only be achieved through a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
The Prime Minister urged the international community to play a more effective role in resolving the dispute and reaffirmed that a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue remains a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He reiterated that Pakistan would continue its diplomatic, political, and moral support for the people of Kashmir and would raise their voice at every regional and international forum.
The message further called on the international community to press India to end the human rights violations that have continued in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir since August 2019, repeal repressive laws, and grant the Kashmiri people their right to self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions.
Speaking at the event, Raja Najabat Hussain, Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Self-Determination Movement International, said that India’s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir seven years ago had been strongly rejected by the Kashmiri people. He paid tribute to the Kashmiri people, the Pakistan Armed Forces, veterans, and martyrs, and said that the struggle for the completion of Pakistan would continue until Kashmir was free. He reaffirmed solidarity with the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
MP Afzal Khan thanked the Consul General for organising the annual Kashmir Exploitation Day event and praised Raja Najabat Hussain for his more than three decades of advocacy on the Kashmir issue. He described Kashmir as “the unfinished agenda of the Partition of India” and said that a free and fair plebiscite remained the only just solution. He added that the United Kingdom has a responsibility to help resolve the dispute, criticising the British government for treating Kashmir as a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India. He stressed that war is not the solution, and that India cannot suppress the Kashmiri people through force and violence.
Afzal Khan also shared his personal connection to the region, noting that his mother was from Kashmir and his father from Pakistan, and said that the Kashmiri people have deep affection for Pakistan.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Raja Najabat Hussain presented a resolution expressing full solidarity with the people of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, voicing concern over India’s continued occupation, and stating that peace in South Asia depends on a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute. The resolution reaffirmed support for the Kashmiri people’s struggle for their right to self-determination.
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