Bradford (The Jang Correspondent):

In the backdrop of rapidly changing world scenario, British progressives of South Asian origin have started new arraying. They have provided a platform entitled South Asian Peoples Forum (SAPF) to all those originating from Pakistan, India, Kashmir, Srilanka and Bangladesh who believe in the philosophy of peace, security, fraternity, and ‘live and let live’.

With the efforts of Pervez Fateh, a progressive leader from Toba Tek Singh and Professor Nazir Tabassum who hails from Azad Kashmir, a second meeting of SAPF was held yesterday in a local restaurant in which Agha Sajjad Hussain, a visitor in UK from Azad Kashmir was the chief guest.

Pervez Fateh, the Forum coordinator brief the committee about the contacts and meetings with the Indian, Bangladeshi and Afghan progressive organisations and individuals in the UK. He told the committee that largest Asian organisation in the UK “Indian Workers Association” had decided to make part of the South Asian Peoples Forum.

Apart from others from India, Pakistan and Kashmir, the meeting was attended by Sarwan Singh, a veteran leader of Indian Workers Association. In this meeting that was called to discuss the latest situation in South Asia and Kashmir, Agha Sajjad Hussain detailed the audience about his visit to the Indian administered part of Kashmir. He said: “After a long duel, the people of that part of Kashmir seem to be indifferent with everything what so ever. “The young generation of Kashmiris in particular doesn’t show any sign of that old fervour. Even today, there are life-size portraits of President Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistan Army Chief hanging at various places in Srinagar. These portraits were hung at a time when an effort was made to bridge both parts of Kashmir by starting Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.”Agha Sajjad’s contention was that the print media of Indian administered Kashmir is far more free and independent than their Pakistani counterparts with respect to their open criticism of the Indian army that has virtually besieged that part of the State and they condemn it. The human rights organizations continuously keep highlighting the incidents of persecution and torture at the hands of police and army. Agha Sajjad said: “The way political leaders in Azad Kashmir are accused of corruption, in the same way, in Srinagar, almost all of the leaders of All Parties Hurryat Conference are accused of corruption. The bigger is the mansion, the bigger Mujahid is its owner.”He said: “Today the main problem faced by Kashmiris is that they do not have a leader who enjoys support of all the five units of the State. The State of jammu and Kashmir comprises of (1) Valley, (2) Jammu, (3) Laddakh, (4) Gilgit-Baltistan and (5) Azad Kashmir. People living in all these five units are as much Kashmiri as the one who lives in the Valley and speaks Kashmiri language”.

Agha Sajjad said: “It is conceived that All Parties Hurryat Conference of Indian administered Kashmir is a representative body of the entire IAK though it has not the least representation from Jammu, Poonchh and Rajorri”.

He said: “The Kashmiri – speaking of the Valley can never think of a Chief Minister of that part of the state who may belong to non-Kashmiri-speaking area.  For the first time, Ghulam Nabi Azad who hails from Jammu has been elected the Chief Minister and that too because he can speak Kashmiri language.

Agha Sajjad said: “Other than Sardar Qayum Khan, the people of Kashmir Valley know no one else amongst the leadership of Azad Kashmir.” He deplored that any other Kashmiri who lives outside the Valley is insignificant for those who live in the Valley. APHC is a house divided and re-divided. Pervez Musharraf is appreciated within the Indian quarters simply for the misconception that he intends to route out terrorists even from the Kashmir Valley by his campaign against terrorism.

Responding to a question posed by Ali Adalat, he said: “There are also many life-size portraits of Maqbool Butt hung at various spots in Srinagar but the movement launched by the martyr has stopped since the day Liberation Front was cast away after duly used by the hidden actors”.

Prior to that Ali Adalt, the short-story writer of Pahari language, told the audience that

recently he had the opportunity of participating in the marriage ceremony of a niece of Maqbool Butt. He was shocked to know that none of those who traded in the name of Maqbool Butt neither showed their appearance on the occasion nor lend any helping hand to the parents with meagre resources to fulfil the ceremony.

The meeting was also addressed by Sarwan Singh, Prof. Nazir Tabassum, Tayyab Pasha, Khalid Saeen Qureshi, Dr. Kaleem Siddiquei, A.D. Anjum, Ijaz Kashmari, Khawaja Waheed, Shah Mohammad Khokhar, Asif Nasim Rathore, Cllr. Ghazanfar Khaliq and Mohammad Ajeeb, the first Asian Lord Mayor of Bradfod.

Agha Sajjad said that during the history of Pakistan so far, just one leader of the stature of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto rose to the occasion to give a definite thinking to the Pakistani nation and showed them the right track for political struggle, in the same way in Kashmir a leader like Sheikh Abdullah was borne who arose the national sentiment in the Kashmiri nation and led them to the modern methods of political struggle.

Prior to that Prof. Nazir Tabassum, while introducing Agha Sajjad Hussain, said that the latter had opportunities of working in the company of eminent progressive leadership of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.

It was generally agreed upon in the meeting that today when the countries involved in the ruthless exploitation of the poor countries have entered into alliance, struggle should be launched to unite the exploited ones on one and the same platform. For this purpose an altogether new arraying should be carried out and we must play our role in bringing about a change in the lot of common man.

The daily Jang International London         29 March 2008

Posted By: Pervez Fateh (South Asian Peoples Forum UK) - info@sapfonline.org

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Tags: Bradford, India, Kashmir, Pervez Fateh, South Asian Peoples Forum