PARLIAMENTARY SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON KASHMIR
AN INTERACTION WITH DIPLOMATIC CORPS
MARRIOTT HOTEL ISLAMABAD
(MARCH 15, 2012)
ADDRESS BY
MAULANA FAZL UR RAHMAN
(MEMBER NATIONAL ASSEMBLY)
CHAIRMAN
KASHMIR COMMITTEE
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Assalam-o-Alaikum!
It is a matter of honour for me to be among this august gathering. I am grateful to all of you for sparing sometime for an exchange of views with me. I sincerely believe that interaction between different nations is a must to resolve the multifarious problems the world is facing today. I am also grateful to the European Parliament and its Delegation for South Asia for their support to improve the economy and export sector of Pakistan.
Excellencies
Kashmir issue is staring at us for the last 6 decades and the world community has remained just a silent spectator. Its negative impact has perturbed the whole region. On the other hand, intervention of the Soviet Union and NATO forces in Afghanistan, over the last three decades had kept Afghanistan in the state of war, which has imperilled the security of Pakistan, being a front line state. The situation has increased our defense expenditure and pressured our economy, leaving little for education, health and basic requirements of the common man. We have suffered a loss of 70 billion US dollars and lost 40 thousand persons, but got less than 5 billion dollars in aid from abroad. The politics of fear has replaced the politics of hope at the international level, which has relegated the human rights to a lower position.This state of affairs is affecting adversely our political and democratic norms of life. Due to the acute economic pressure, the national integrity of Pakistan can be affected. The regional, linguistic and religious prejudices are rearing their heads, creating uncertainty in the economic and other spheres of life.
Excellencies
Pakistan desires to have better relations with its neighbours. China is our reliable friend. We don’t have any reservation about each other. However, list of disputes with India is quite long in which Kashmir is the core issue. The trend of relations between these two countries squarely depends upon this issue. However, Pakistan believes in resolving all the disputes through dialogue. As a matter of principle, we are not against enhancing our trade relations with India, but before concluding trade pacts it has to be kept in mind if India is constructing dams despite the Water Treaty in the Occupied Kashmir on the rivers flowing towards Pakistan, it will make the agriculture of Pakistan insecure in the future. Since crisis in the agriculture sector gives birth to the industrial problems, our trade may become hostage to the conditions of India. Thus, India can blackmail Pakistan in trade. Under the WTO Treaty, the member countries have to adopt equitable trade trends towards each other. However, in view of the ground realities of the region, supremacy of India in the bilateral trade with Pakistan will undermine the MFN (Most Favoured Nation) regime of the WTO. Therefore, it is imperative that the European Union and the WTO should take preventive measures and play their role in stopping India from building dams on the rivers in the India held Kashmir.
Excellencies
There are two prominent economic systems at the international level: the socialism of the East as well as the capitalism of the West. Both are two extreme systems, which are not in sync with the human nature. The socialism lost support even in the Communist Block twenty years ago and collapsed, when the Soviet Union was involved in the Afghan War. Today, when America and NATO countries are fighting the Afghan War, the world has witnessed a sharp reaction against the capitalism at the Wall Street in America as well as other places in the western countries. It is necessary for the European Union that it should formulate a new strategy to forge a balance between the rights of the state and individual on the wealth. This principle is the cardinal message of Islam for the welfare of the mankind.
Honourable Guests
Islam is a complete code of life and calls for peace, moderation and tolerance. It invites the whole world towards peace, coexistence, prosperous economy and security of the human rights. Islam hates extremism and violence. However, it is worth considering, whether these ills, which breed in the darkness of illiteracy and ignorance, are humans instincts or a reaction against the cruelties and oppression of the dominant forces? The horrendous stories have surfaced from the Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghareeb and Shabarghan Jails. The Holy Quran have been desecrated in front of the Muslim prisoners, it was burnt in the religious ceremonies in the churches of America; cartoons of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were published. Recently, the Holy Quran was burnt in Afghanistan and 18 Muslims were killed by a US soldier. A mosque has been gutted in a village near Brussels and Imam (Priest) was killed there. One has to see whether these incidents don’t fall within the ambit of extremism and violence in the developed countries of the West? and whether the expression of reaction in the Muslim world against these incidents alone can be dubbed as extremism and violence? We believe that justice is not being meted out to the Muslim world in this regard.
I have got this opportunity today to request Your Excellencies to play your role in giving new direction to the policies and for changing the view point of the West for the sake of peace in the world and freedom of nations, enabling them to live with honour and dignity. I assure Your Excellencies, that the Muslim World and its religious leadership are sincere for peaceful coexistence and friendship among the peoples of the world. We do encourage the endeavours for peace in the region and deem that the collective efforts are imperative to attain this objective.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
I also desire to draw your attention to the reign of terror, unleashed by India in the Occupied Kashmir. Over seven and half hundred thousand Indian troops have been deployed and draconian laws enforced there. The Indian troops are involved in unspeakable human right violations. I appeal to the world community, especially the European countries, to pressure India to withdraw its troops and revoke black laws as well as to resolve the Kashmir issue.
At the end, I once again thank all of you for giving me a chance to convey my ideas and feelings to you.
Thank you
