Senior Kashmiri Hurriyet leader Syed Ali Gilani has hailed the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband for his recent remarks on Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, Syed Ali Gilani in a letter addressed to the UK Foreign Secretary appreciated his ideas on the resolution of Kashmir dispute and thanked him for articulating the importance of resolving the dispute for ensuring peace in South Asia.
He reminded the British leader that Kashmir was the oldest unresolved dispute on the United Nations agenda. "India and Pakistan have signed an international agreement in 1948 under the aegis of the United Nations Security Council guaranteeing the right to self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir", he added.
The Hurriyet leader in his letter gave detailed account of sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir struggling for the right for the past over 61 years. "About half a million people have sacrificed their lives during past six decades for this cause and hundreds of unmarked mass graves tell a woeful tale of the human rights violations committed by Indian troops in the territory", he maintained.
Gilani, appreciating the understanding of importance of the resolutions of Kashmir dispute in accordance with norms of justice and fair play and respect for international law for peace in the region, hoped that David Miliband would play an active role in this regard.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of the forum patronised by Syed Ali Gilani in a statement said that India could not suppress Kashmiris' struggle for right to self-determination by stepping up state terrorism in the occupied territory. He appealed to the world human rights organisations to take serious notice of the human rights violations being perpetrated by Indian troops in the occupied territory.