Worthy Ambassador (R) Munawar Saeed Bhatti Chair of this Session, honorable guest speakers, respected ladies and gentlemen, ASALAM O ALIKUM. On behalf of MUSLIM Institute, I warmly welcome you all to the seminar “Elections and Human Rights Abuses – Case Study of Indian Held Kashmir”. As you are aware that MUSLIM Institute is a research based think tank, and there are four Desks, Islamic Shariah & Jurisprudence Desk, under this Desk we conduct research minimize the gap among Muslims, Secondly, there is International Affairs Desk Under This Desk we work on the issues faced by the world especially by Muslims in North Africa, Middle East, Far East etcetera. Thirdly, there is Sultan Bahoo desk which is working on the spiritual dimensions of Human being through the Sufi teachings. Last but not the Least, Kashmir Desk which is dedicated to work on Kashmir issue and today’s Seminar is also organized under Kahmir Desk of MUSLIM Institute.
Ladies and gentlemen, human rights violations anywhere in the world are condemnable and so are these in Indian Held Kashmir. As you are aware that promises made to the Kashmiris remain unfulfilled, their aspirations still unaddressed. And the worst part is that they are being targeted for reminding the world of its pledges. More so, India has always used both bullet and ballot to crush voice of Kashmiris and to conceal its own excesses against the innocent citizens. Use of bullet against unarmed citizens of every age and every gender continues unabated. The Indian government has added insult to the injuries of Kashmiris by holding elections in the Indian Held Kashmir to offer democracy and its blessings to those who have been even denied very basic rights. It is really ironic. Yet another effort on the part of the Indian government is in the offing to show the world that it is thoroughly democratic and has offered the same to the people of Indian Held Kashmir. The Indian government intends to hold elections in the Indian Held Kashmir from 25 November.
Ladies and gentlemen, democracy that usurps rights of innocents and weak, democracy that allows genocide, democracy that accepts mass graves, democracy that makes brides widows, infants orphans, democracy that allows arbitrary detentions and killings, democracy at the cost of blood of unarmed, democracy at the cost of wails of widows, tears of orphans is not a democracy. It is mere bloodocracy. Kashmiris have always rejected such sham measures of the Indian governments to conceal their brutalities in Indian Held Kashmir. The same is evident by the fact that Kashmiris have never stopped offering sacrifices to show that their aspirations so far remain ungranted and the carrot of Indian democracy is not their destination. The message should be clear to the Modi government that nothing less than right of self determination is acceptable to the Kashmiris. No matter how cruel and brutal Modi government gets with the Kashmiris, they are not going to budge.
Ladies and gentlemen, MUSLIM Institute is dedicated to raising voice for right of self determination for our Kashmiri brethren at all levels. Today’s seminar is also part of the same efforts and aims at reminding the world of its unfulfilled pledges to the Kashmiris. We need to make the world realize that sham democracy at the cost of blood of martyrs is by no means substitute for what has been promised to the Kashmiris, who want right of self determination. We would listen to very distinguished speakers who would shed light on Indian intrigues to conceal their brutalities behind veil of democracy rather bloodocracy. We would be enlightened on actual designs of the Modi government and also on how we should handle the emerging situation. I would not take much of your time and we should now start proceedings of the seminar.
Thank you.
