Afridi outlays holistic, proactive plan to help raise Kashmir on global forums

The committee expressed unanimous support over the Kashmir Policy adopted by the federal government

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi Wednesday outlayed a holistic and proactive plan of action of the Kashmir Committee to help raise Kashmir at all global forums.

Chairing a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, he mentioned that the plan is an outcome of yearlong effort made by the Committee and experts working with the Committee.

The committee expressed unanimous support over the Kashmir Policy adopted by the federal government and accorded consent to the action plan on Kashmir.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi and National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf made presentations on the government strategy on observing Solidarity Day on Kashmir.

He said that the Committee had been working on building subcommittees in the form of advisory boards to cover all possible fronts on Kashmir.

He said that the Kashmir Committee had shifted its functioning from traditional path to a holistic narrative building on Kashmir.

He said that the Kashmir Committee had been working with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to ensure provison of level playing field on the digital space.

He said that an Advisory Board had been formed involving Information Technology (IT) experts to ensure maximum space on digital front.

He said for adding new vigour and punch to Kashmir narrative, Kashmir Committee had formed an Advisory Board on Academia to push for new research and content to the narrative on Kashmir.

He said that following the western model, Kashmir Committee had formed an Advisory Board on Culture to further story telling on Kashmir. He said that Indian occupational regime has suppressed media in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and stories and imagery is not coming out despite matchless sacrifices by Kashmir journalists.

He said that on January 31, Indian colonial regime in Kashmir has registeted an FIR against Kashmiri media outlet, The Kashmir Walla, to suppress media freedom.

He said that criminal cases were being registered against journalists in Indian occupational regime to gag media as India wanted to stop imagery and stories coming out of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that the cultural front is being formed to push narrative on Kashmir. He said that top artistes, thinkers and film makers are being added to the Advisory Board on Culture to project Kashmiri culture which is being destroyed by occupational regime in IIOJK under its genocide plan.

He said that in order to project Kashmiri sports, Kashmir Committee was supporting Kashmir Premier League to put Kashmir on global sports map.

He said that Youth Ambassadors are being projected to become vlogers, bloggers and social media activist to help story telling on Kashmir.

He said that among one of the newest agendas of Kashmir Committee is to work on EU Disinfo Lab report to expose the dubious approaches of India to create bias in global opinion by projecting fake news and baseless propaganda against Pakistan through fake media outlets, fake websites and fake NGOs.

He said that Kashmir Committee also formed an Advisory Board on Lawfare to explore future strategy and options on legal aspects of Kashmir dispute.

He said that the Kashmir Committee also worked on the research on Kashmir in liaison with the Kashmiri scholars and think tanks.

He said that Kashmir Committee also added civil society as a new agent in Kashmir narrative building on International forums. He said that the Committee has identified 22 global forums to raise Kashmir dispute.

He said that Kashmir Committee has for the first time in history took deaf community on board to use gestures to tell story of Kashmir to the world.

He said that Kashmir Committee has been developing its own first ever dedicated website to provide verified data on both Azad Jammu and Kashmir as well as IIOJK in six different languages.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that all political parties should adopt a bipartisan approach on Kashmir.

He said that Kashmiri people had paid unprecedented sacrifices for freedom from illegal Indian occupation and they stand committed to their fervour for freedom.

He said that massive Indian oppression against Kashmiris had alienated the Kashmiri people.

He said that Indian occupational forces had been involved in false flag operation in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir but EU Disinfo Lab had fully exposed the Indian atrocities and its false narrative on Kashmir.

He said that India was escaping dialogue and the world had recognised this fact. He said that Pakistan had time and again expressed its willingness for adjudication by United Nations Secretary General but India has been avoiding arbitration.

He said that India was biggest hurdle in regional connectivity.

Moeed Yusuf gave an overview of the government’s efforts to internationalise the Kashmir dispute.