Ankara-based Economic and Social Research Center (ESAM) has reaffirmed its unwavering solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, stressing that the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, guaranteed by the United Nations, cannot be denied.  During a meeting with Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum, ESAM President Dr Ibrahim Ertan Yülek said, “Our solidarity with the people of Kashmir is steadfast and unwavering.” 

Dr Fai, accompanied by Dr Mubeen Shah, Chairman of the Kashmir Diaspora Coalition and President of Kashmir House Istanbul, briefed the ESAM leadership on the historical, legal and human rights dimensions of the Kashmir dispute.  He said two features make the Kashmir conflict unique: both India and Pakistan had agreed before the UN to resolve it through a plebiscite under international auspices, and the region borders three nuclear-armed states — India, Pakistan and China — making it one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the world. 

Dr Fai noted that when the UN discussed the modalities of the plebiscite, India later refused to cooperate, violating its own commitments. He also condemned India’s prolonged misuse of draconian laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA), to silence Kashmiri voices demanding freedom. These laws, he said, enable authorities to arrest innocent leaders like Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Masarrat Aalam Butt and Aasiya Andrabi without due process, sometimes even risking capital punishment. 

Since this was Dr Fai’s first visit to ESAM after the passing of former ESAM President Ustaaz Recai Kutan, he offered condolences and recalled his long association with the late Turkish leader. He highlighted Kutan’s participation as keynote speaker at the first International Kashmir Conference in Washington in 1991, attended by over 700 delegates, and praised him as a selfless statesman deeply informed about Kashmir. 

Dr Fai also recalled his interactions with former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, who consistently advocated a peaceful settlement of Kashmir. He remembered Professor Erbakan raising the Kashmir issue during meetings with US lawmakers, journalists and think-tanks, stressing the global responsibility of the Muslim Ummah toward oppressed peoples.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)