Srinagar, January 20, 2018 (PPI-OT):In occupied Kashmir, the Kashmir Civil Society (KCS) has urged India and Pakistan to initiate dialogue for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. The KCS in a statement in Srinagar said the civil society groups and individuals from Kashmir are deeply distressed at the emerging situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
It said, “Significantly, despite the three wars and all military maneuvers in last seven decades between India and Pakistan, the countries have been unable to resolve or end the dispute. Therefore, the civil society of Kashmir appeals to the leadership of both the countries to end belligerence and replace it with dialogue to peacefully resolve the dispute over Kashmir.”
The KCS appealed to the civil society groups of India, Pakistan and the world at large not to remain silent on this situation, which can lead to a major catastrophe. “We hope that the civil society groups and those who believe in non-violent conflict resolution will mobilize themselves by persuading both the countries to engage in meaningful political dialogue, a dialogue which is time-bound and result-oriented and leads to the eventual resolution of Kashmir dispute,” the statement said.
The signatories to the statement included Abdul Majeed Zargar, chartered accountant and civil society activist; Advocate Parvez Imroz, President Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society; Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor The Kashmir Times; Dr Altaf Hussain, Pediatrician and civil society activist; Dr Ather Zia, Assistant Professor, Anthropology and Gender Studies Program, University of Colorado; Dr Gazalla Noor Amin, Secretary General, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries; Dr Ghulam Qadir Allaqband, consultant physician; Dr Javaid Iqbal, writer, civil society activist; Dr Mehboob Makhdoomi, writer and columnist; Dr Mona Bhan, Associate Professor department of Sociology and Anthropology, DePauw University; Dr Mubeen Shah, former President Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir; Dr Shaikh Ghulam Rasool, President Jammu and Kashmir RTI Movement, Shujaat Bukhari, Editor in Chief of The Rising Kashmir; Essar Batool, author and civil society activist; Feroze Ahmed, President Human Welfare Voluntary Organisation; Gowhar Geelani, journalist and political commentator; Iftikhar Geelani, senior journalist; Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, columnist; Mirza Waheed, writer; Muhammad Ashraf, Ex-DG of Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir; Muhammad Junaid, City University of New York; Muhammad Saleem Beg, Convenor INTACH; Muhammad Shafi Pandit, Ex-Chairman J and K Public Service Commission; Monisa Qadri, faculty member IUST; Nusrat Andrabi, Ex-Member JK Wakf Board; Prof. Gul Muhammad Wani, department of Political Science, University of Kashmir; Prof. Hameeda Nayeem, department of English, University of Kashmir and Chairperson of Kashmir Centre for Social and Development Studies; Prof. Noor Ahmad Baba, Dean School of Social Science, Central University of Kashmir; Prof. Siddiq Wahid, Ex-Vice Chancellor, IUST; Prof. Suvir Kaul, department of English, University of Pennsylvania; Riyaz Masroor, senior journalist; Sanjay Kak, filmmaker; Siraj Ahmed, Kashmir Economic Alliance; Shakeel Qalandar, former-President FCIK and civil society activist; Syeda Afshana, faculty member of MERC, University of Kashmir; Yousuf Jameel, senior journalist; Zahir-ud-Din, journalist and author; Zareef Ahmed Zareef, poet and civil society activist; and Khurram Parvez, human rights activist.
For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
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