Northern Island

Of contemporary conflict involving disputes over sovereignty and clashing visions of national self-determination on the same territory, Northern Ireland’s conflict bears a striking resemblance to that of Kashmir. Hence, a five-member delegation from KIIR visited Northern Island during March- April 2004, to study the Irish Peace Model. The point of visit was to discover striking similarities and salient differences between the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Kashmir. It was hoped that the approach and the framework for moving from intractable, perennial conflict peaceful accommodation might hold interesting and relevant clues and lessons.

South Africa

In 2002, Abie Dawoojee invited KIIR delegates to observe the racial reconciliation process after the end of Apartheid. Dr. Siddiq Tayyab of the Human Rights Foundation, South Africa, organized the delegation’s visit of Johannesburg and surrounding areas while the Muslim Judicial Council arranged the visit to Cape Town. Consequently, the ground was also laid for future collaborations for the enhancement of peace and stability in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between KIIR, HRF and the Islamic Judicial Council.

During this visit, the delegates were also afforded the opportunity to conduct meetings with the Muslim community, several parliamentarians as well as the Deputy Foreign Minister to discuss the normalization process in South Africa in the aftermath of such long-standing grievances.

Moreover, this sojourn in South Africa allowed Chairman, KIIR, to address the Minara Chamber of Commerce, Durban. The delegates, on their part, emphasized the importance of the Kashmir issues for international stability in various interviews to different Radio and TV channels.


KIIR gathered research material on several proposed solutions to the Kashmir issue and published them in a book form in 2004. The book is titled, ‘Kashmir—An Array of Options’.

Other KIIR publications include two volumes of ‘ World and Kashmir’ for the years 1994 and 1995-96 respectively. These volumes consisted of press clippings and news reports pertaining to the Kashmir dispute.

KIIR has also developed several concept papers including,’ The Role Civil Society in Prevention of Armed Conflict in South Asia’; ‘ The Muzaffrabad-Srinagar Bus Service Myth or Reality’ and ‘Promoting People-to People Contact Across the Kashmir Divide’.

Human Rights Desk, in collaboration with Abi Media Marketing, UK, also conducted a survey that identified, for the first time, public opinion in Kashmir using scientific social survey methods,

Since its inception, Human Rights Desk has been active in voicing its concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Kashmir and it was in recognition of its activities that the UN accredited HRD as a participant in the ‘ World Conference on Racism Johannesburg South Africa 2000’.

Since its formation, HRD delegates regularly attend the session of UN Commission for Human Rights and UN Sub Commission for Human Rights in Geneva.

ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN PREVENTION OF ARMED CONFLICT IN KASHMIR
Concept paper by Shah Ghulam Qadir & Sardar Amjad Yousaf Khan

The conflict over Kashmir has been a source of serious tensions between India and Pakistan for more than five decades. It remains one of the most intractable conflicts in South Asia. Out of the three wars fought between India and Pakistan, two have been over this territory. Jammu and Kashmir is now divided between the two countries but its sovereignty has been contested since de-colonization in 1947. As both the countries are nuclear powers, the threat of another war having nuclear implications, raises the stakes of all parties concern.

The recent initiatives taken by India and Pakistan in reducing the tensions in the region has created an environment of a new opening for the civil society to play an active role in strengthening the peace initiatives and preventing any future situations in emanating to an armed conflict.

POSITIONS:

The Indian government claims that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of Indian union and the U.N Security Councils resolution on Kashmir are not relevant, as Kashmiries have exercised their rights through elections. The Indian government claims that the people’s revolt, which started in 1989 culminating to militancy, is insurgency supported by Pakistan.
Pakistan government claims that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory and people of Jammu and Kashmir have yet to decide through impartial plebiscite / referendum to determine their future according to the concerned U.N Security Council resolutions. The government of Pakistan supports the movement in Kashmir morally, politically and diplomatically by claiming that it is an indigenous movement. 

Role of the Civil Society:

The civil society in India and Pakistan can play a vital role in creating political will that is required in peoples of both countries to judge the cost of allowing the present situation to continue, exceeds the perceived cost of pursuing a solution that needs the concerns of both countries. It has to be made clear that the benefit of pursuing a peace process must be judged to exceed the benefits of maintaining the conflict.  The civil society leaders will need to generate the support among their peoples for sustaining a peace process. They must exercise increasing responsibility in generating the will to change the situation. Focusing on the cost of continued conflict such as the following can help generate that political will.

• Large defense expenditures.
• Increased level of poverty in both the countries.

Srinagar-Muzafarabad Bus Service: Myth or Reality January 29,2004

After two years of deadlock between India and Pakistan, the Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpaee proposed a peace process between India and Pakistan in April 2003. In late 2003, the Indian External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha proposed a 12-points peace initiative. Out of the proposed 12 initiatives, the Pakistani Prime Minister already proposed 10 in mid 2003, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali during his first-ever telephonic conversation since he assumed office, with his Indian counterpart, Mr. A. B.  Vajpayee.

Out of twelve, the two new initiatives were: the starting of bus service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar and an offer of talks to the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). After the recent meeting between President Musharaff and Prime Minster Vajpayee in Islamabad on the sidelines of 12th SAARC Summit, both the countries proposed technical dialogue to start Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.
The Indian government claims that Kashmir is an integral part of India and according to Indian constitution every Kashmiri in Jammu & Kashmir State is an Indian citizen. Pakistan considers Jammu & Kashmir as a disputed territory whose future is yet to be determined by the people of Jammu & Kashmir through impartial plebiscite/referendum according to the concerned U.N. Security Council resolutions.
As Kashmiris are divided for the last 56 years, they are profoundly eager to meet their relatives and friends living on the other side of Line of Control. Kashmiris want free movement from one part to other without any restrictions, as has been allowed by the concerned UN Security Council resolutions (No.47 dated 21st April 1948, Document No. S/726, Paragraph 12). Kahmiris believe that no barriers from any side of Line of Control can stop them from traveling within the whole territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian government proposed the bus service without spelling out the modalities of this proposal. As the conflicting stated positions of India and Pakistan and the disputed nature of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the requirements of visa and passport cannot be applied on the citizens of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

As Pakistan government considers the State of Jammu and Kashmir a disputed territory, an immigration post cannot be established in Azad Kashmir. The previous travel arrangements used after the 1949 ceasefire till 1956 can be adopted again to facilitate the movement of citizens from either side of the Line of Control (LoC). Under the previous arrangements the Deputy Commissioner of the concerned districts on both sides of the then Ceasefire Line used to issue a traveling pass to the citizens to cross the Ceasefire Line.