Asian Age, June 9, 2006

Islamabad, June 8: The International Kashmir Alliance on Thursday criticised the Pakistan government for harassing Kashmiri leaders who attended a conference in India.

“It is disappointing to note that Pakistani secret agencies have resorted to their old tactics and have started harassing those Kashmiris who attended a Kashmir conference in New Delhi. These people were allowed to proceed to New Delhi and allowed back after taking part in this peaceful conference, and many of us thought the Pakistan agencies had changed their hearts and attitude,” International Kashmir Alliance spokesman Shabir Choudhry said in a statement issued from London. A copy was also sent to The Asian Age.

“We were deeply disappointed to hear that Pakistani agencies have started targeting and harassing Shafqat Inqilabi, a leader of Balawaristan National Front. Shafqat Inquilabi has not committed any crime by attending this conference, which was organized by the Institution for Conflict Management to find a workable solution to the Kasmir dispute,” he added.

“Shafqat Inqilabi, as a representative of his people, has every right to speak on the issues related to their problems in Gilgit and Baltistan, and Pakistani agencies need to appreciate that we are no longer living in the dark ages. They need to understand that a right to hold an opinion is a basic human right and we cannot trample human rights in 21st century, “ Choudhry said. “The Pakistan government faces plenty of problems already and its image abroad is not very positive, and is it sensible to add to the existing problems of Pakistan by tarnishing its image, “ he statement said.

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