MQM-P seeks place on Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Tuesday asked for representation in the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, saying the participation of all political parties was necessary to project the issue more effectively.

The request was made during a meeting in Islamabad between MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar and Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon. The committee is a parliamentary forum tasked with raising the Kashmir issue at national and international platforms.

During the meeting, Dr Sattar proposed that all political parties should be included in the committee. Qasim supported the suggestion and said broader political agreement on Kashmir was urgently needed.

Dr Sattar said a lasting resolution of the Kashmir dispute could only be achieved through political and diplomatic efforts. Qasim, meanwhile, suggested holding a National Conference on Kashmir to help build wider political consensus and present the issue more effectively at the international level.

Paying tribute to the Kashmiri people, Qasim referred to their sacrifices and said Pakistan had consistently extended political, diplomatic and moral backing to Kashmiris.

He also described Pakistan’s success against India in Marka-i-Haq as a historic accomplishment and a source of pride for the nation.

According to Qasim, Hurriyat leaders from Kashmir had remained imprisoned in Indian jails for years, while India was issuing what he called fake domiciles in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in an effort to alter the territory’s demographic composition. He termed the move a violation of international law and United Nations resolutions.

Speaking about the proposed conference, Qasim said all political parties, lawmakers, experts, intellectuals, civil society representatives, youth and Kashmiri leaders should be brought together to strengthen national consensus and present the position of the Kashmiri people at the global level.

The committee chairman also praised MQM-P’s public service, particularly its work in the education sector.