HYDERABAD: Underscoring the need for a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue, speakers at a national conference condemned brutal use of force against innocent people in the occupied valley.

They were addressing the conference on ‘Peace and Resolution of Kashmir Conflict’ organised by the Pakistan Study Centre of the Sindh University (SU) on its campus on Tuesday to mark Kashmir Day and express solidarity with the Kashmiri brethren.

In his presidential address, SU Vice Chancellor Dr Fateh Mohammad Burfat said Kashmiri brethren had rendered invaluable sacrifices. Despite atrocities, India was not able to silence Kashmiri people. “We support their struggle and pay tribute to them for this fight,” he said.

He said that unprecedented excesses and massacre of people were committed in Kashmir because India used troops to suppress the voice of people. He urged the world community to intervene and play their role to bring this genocide to an end in India-held Kashmir. India had unleashed a reign of terror and the world needed to curb it, he added.

Cadet College Petaro principal Comm­odore Mehboob Ellahi Malik stressed the need for a peaceful resolution of Kashmir conflict. He remarked that both Pakistan and India could not afford another war as this could be a nuclear conflagration, putting global peace at stake. “We can convince the world of our strength by achieving more economic and political empowerment and by the power of tangible reasoning,” he said.

Former dean faculty of social sciences of Karachi University, Prof Dr Moonis Ahmar, said that having failed in its designs to suppress the struggle India resorted to initiation of clandestine process of demographic transformation of population to turn them into minority. This, he said, India was doing to replicate Israeli model.

“One school of thought represents religious extremists in India that believes in Hindu hegemony within India and in Jammu and Kashmir while the other wants India to protect its secular identity and opposes communal, violent extremist ideology,” he said. He supported bilateral confidence-building measures and meaningful engagement between Pakistan and India.

Former director of the Centre of Excellence for Women Studies, University of Karachi, and head of the Social Policy and Development Centre, Prof Dr Khalida Ghous bemoaned blatant, excessive and violent use of force. She sought intervention of world rights’ bodies, International Court of Justice and other relevant global forums into the matter. “Let me stress sustained, structured and systematic bilateral approach and dialogue as a way forward both at the government and people-to-people levels,” she said.

Pakistan Study Centre director Prof Dr Shuja Ahmed Mahessar urged global forums to intervene to help Kashmiris get their right of self-determination and resolve the conflict to guarantee peace and harmony in the South Asian region. This would allow the people of Pakistan and India to prosper, he added.

Earlier, a Kashmir solidarity rally was taken out from the Faculty of Arts to the Allama I.I. Kazi Central Library. Faculty, officers, employees, students and community members attended the rally led by the VC.

National songs were presented by students Mohammad Younis Keerio and Khushboo Chandio. One motivational speech was delivered by Asadullah Wassan. Jamshoro SSP Touqeer Naeem also spoke.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2019