Leeds: Kashmiri Nationalist human rights activists, thinkers, politicians and other renowned diaspora personalities gathered in Leeds, UK under the aegis of UKPNP which organised the International Kashmir Conference to discuss the rights situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

The Conference, which was held on July 28, declared that the erstwhile state of J-K is one political entity and its unification, stability and prosperity is the ultimate goal.

Speakers emphasised that the right to assemble and protest is a fundamental human right which cannot be suppressed or snatched from the masses. It was stressed that the people of PoJK protesting against the injustice, skyrocketing inflation, lack of electricity and heavy taxes cannot be silenced by the gun.

The conference affirmed that the people of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir have remained the victim of aggression, violence and extremism since 1947 by Pakistan. The suffering of separation must come to an end.

The conference strongly condemned the land grabbing in PoJK and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) by the military and influential non-State actors.

The plundering of the natural resources and damaging the ecosystem of the Himalayas by constructing mega dams and diverting the flow of rivers is causing huge resettlement among the masses of PoJK and GB and also causing hardships to the locals who are long deprived even of the water resources.

The conference vehemently condemned the brutality carried out by the Pakistani troops over unarmed peaceful protesters against the high prices, lack of electricity, lack of clean drinking water and systematic exploitation of their natural resources.

It was also observed in the Conference that China is not a party to the J-K dispute but a huge chunk of land (Aksai chin and Shaksgam Valley) is in their occupation and control since 1962-63.

They also said the occupational forces of Pakistan and China need to vacate J-K and get a peaceful resolution of the dispute.