Signatures of 1.5 million Kashmiris on display in Delhi

18 Mar, 2005

A unique exhibition titled "Voices for Peace -Voices for Freedom" depicting signatures, collected from 1.5 million Kashmiri people by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) was held here on Thursday, underscoring the need of involving the people in the dialogue process for lasting and durable settlement of the dispute. The exhibition of over 10,000 pictures along with signatures of 1.5 million Kashmiri people and documentary, held at Gandhi Peace Foundation, was attended by Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Aziz Ahmad Khan, Member Parliament Nirmala Deshpande, noted journalists Kuldip Nayyar and Praful Bidwai, intellectuals, writers, academicians and people from cross sections of the society.
The signatures were obtained to know the opinion of the Kashmiri people for their representation in the dialogue process, aimed at resolving the Kashmir dispute and thousands of villages in Occupied Kashmir were visited by JKLF to meet the people during this campaign.
The exhibition reflects the images of Kashmiri people, casting their verdict for peace and urging their inclusion in the Pakistan-India peace process.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Mohammad Yasin Malik underlined the need of associating the people of Kashmir in the Pak-India dialogue process to ensure just solution of the decades-old dispute.
He was of the view that the vexed issue of Kashmir could only be resolved through the genuine dialogue process in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmir people.
Elaborating the salient features of the signature campaign, which culminated in the collection of 1.5 million signatures with complete identity of each and every person, he noted that this was done through extremely transparent means.
"We are on peace mission here (in the national capital)," he said adding, the people of Kashmir must be consulted while addressing the issue of Kashmir.
The Kashmiri people have suffered the most and lost their kith and kins during the freedom movement that is why, they must be associated with the dialogue process, going on between Pakistan and India for the last one- and-half- year, he observed.

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