Proposer: Umar Khan Seconder: Larisa Wallis
The Background
Since 1947, the matter has not been resolved and in the recent years the violence carried out by the Indian government have intensified, including: extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, collective punishments, sexual violence, restrictions on freedom of expression and religion, curbs on media, internet shutdowns and arrests on human rights defenders. As we pass the motion, India has detained around 4000 political activists illegally which is a clear breach of the UN resolutions and human rights.
The UNSCR 1948, Resolution 47 speaks about restoring peace and order in Jammu and Kashmir, ceasefire between the two countries and in the region, free and impartial plebiscite.
The UN resolution directly instructed the commission on this resolution to place its good offices in the Indian Subcontinent of the time to offer mediation between Pakistan and India. Under resolution 39, it speaks about the withdrawal of Indian Forces; the forces that remain should only assist with supporting civil power, i.e. law and order. India must announce each stage of its step by step withdrawal of forces.
In the resolution 38, A(3) stating how to arrange a Plebiscite it says, that the government of India should agree to base their forces away from administration of plebiscite until needed and necessary by the Administration, See UNSCR (Resolution 47).
UNSCR 1952, Resolution 98 urges Pakistan and India to enter into immediate negotiations and also speaks about the demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Proposal of general McNaughton 1949
The proposal of Gen. MC Naughton, the president of the security council, at the 457th meeting on the 22 Dec 1949 requested that the future of Jammu and Kashmir to be determined by democratic method of free and impartial plebiscite.
The plebiscite to take place as early as possible. Both countries should keep in mind the freely expressed will of the inhabitants. Both Pakistan and India should look into the future rather than looking back into the conflicts or issues of the past. It was proposed that India and Pakistan should reach an agreement for plebiscite no later than 31 Jan 1950, (See UNSCR (Resolution 80).
On 11th Dec 2023, Indian authorities have also abrogated the article 370 and 35A in IOK (Indian Occupied Kashmir) and has been changing the demography of IOK through settlement of non-state citizens. This is directly against the above UN resolutions.
Our Aim –
- To provide comprehensive understanding of the situation in Kashmir and support the resolution with actions organising events and holding meetings in all major UK cities to increase awareness of Kashmir issue under these resolutions.
- To raise the voice in the houses of Parliament via local MPs, launching social media content and holding Kashmir events in all major UK cities.
To also address the United Nations Office in the UK in putting together a formal delegation to enter into communication with the government of India and Pakistan.
Thank you, Your support for this motion will directly and positively impact lives of millions of people living in an open prison since 1947.
I am sure that this longstanding humanitarian matter will catch the interest of most people in the congress.
The people of Kashmir look up to the British people and international organisations for support and direction.
Regards, Umar Khan
We as a British party should not be taking sides. Members should keep any campaigning on the issue as a separate matter.
If we took a stand we would needlessly antagonise British citizens of Hindu origin, and a much wider circle of sympathisers.
The Republic of India is utterly unlikely to ever change its mind. And is too powerful and much too useful as a possible ally for any possibility of coercion. So any campaigns are doomed.
People should not expect justice from the United Nations on this or any other issue of disputed territories. Majority votes are largely selfish, and often bought with promises and threats by the USA
I sympathise, though from my limited knowledge of the issue, I suppose that some parts would prefer to stay with India. But my basic position is that I always prefer peace to justice.
M Williams,
Thank you for your comments. Highly appreciate your support.
We do not want to upset any Hindu or Muslim. This isn’t a religious matter. Never should it be seen as. It is a humanitarian matter and based on agreed UN terms by both Pakistan and India in 1948. We are hopeful that with our efforts we shall make a difference and I wish your support to pave the way going forward.
All Hindus and Muslims wish to have a better future and Kashmir issue is holding them back. We as Subcontinental people are much better to focus on economic growth, peace and harmony between states and think selflessly for people of Kashmir who are tortured for no reason. I am sure with work on both sides we can achive it.
UN couldnt do anything because they never had any support from general public and countries. Both countries have learned after 4 wars that peace is the only way forward. And power is shifting, so if we ignore Kahsmir, it might become like Palestine which could unsettle the whole world, if not the region.
Kind Regards,
Umar
It’s a excellent motion may this brings unity and peace to the people of Kashmir
Kashmir has long been an Interrnational issue embracing the issues of National Liberation and Human Rights for an occupied people. The issue is complex involving entities like India Pakistan and even China. Domestically in the UK the competing trends in Pakistani and Indian internal play directly into local politics. Despite all of this the WP has a duty to support the Rights of the peoples of Kashmir to determine there own future.
Thanks John, I agree totally. This is a matter of humanity and we British people know very well who to stand with! Much Appreciated
The WPB should start to remove itself now from motions and emotions regarding overseas issues where we have little material to contribute and which are of marginal interest to the vast bulk of the British working class. The exception is where our own Government is complicit in acts of war and genocide as in the cases of Israel and the Ukraine War or in regime change as may be the case in Venezuela, Iran or Georgia or where we have alliances that risk the lives of our own population. In the case of Kashmir, this is a dispute in which the people of the United Kingdom taken as a whole have no intrinsic interest and which must be resolved peacefully between neighbouring countries in the interests of the local population. Our prime concern must be with the actual conduct of our own Government and not attempts to influence, somewhat futilely, the conduct of Governments overseas. The condition of the British people is our primary concern and we should not be distracted from that concern.
Tim Pendry – I completely and respectfully disagree to your statement as there is no solid ground to your opinion which suggests not to support Kashmir Motion and rather you suggest to withdraw from Human Rights Support across the board.
Britain is a member of the UN and also a country that influences the world and openly speaks and protect the matters of human rights. When vast majority of Kashmiris live in the UK which you didnt mention also want to support the motion.
Are you suggesting that UK and Workers party stops speaking about people that are being tortured and butchered across the world? Then why and what reason is left to serve Britain in the coming future?
Politics means to provide for your nation and to help other nations around you to build in order to create a better world!
Workers Party is a party that not only provides solutions to our local and national economy and working class people, but also a party that speaks the truth and supports the truth and it must support and raise issues like Kashmir. We are and must stand proud!
I stand fully by what I have said but this is why Congress exists – to debate such points where we have differences of opinion within the shared Ten Point Framework and then come to a view that binds the Party at least until the next Congress. Whatever Congress decides, I will abide by as I am sure you shall. Regrettably I cannot put my case on the day.
Hi Tim,
Thanks for explaining that it’s a democratic system and we always engage in a fruitful talk to make things binding for the party. I really appreciate.
I read in one of your comments on other motions where you said you are againt imperialist wars and that you support that motion to pass, which I appreciate and I see it is the right thing to do. I wanted to bring this to your attention that we meet point 1 of 10 points in the subject of Kashmir. Kashmir has been a state which is impacted by Imperialist Wars, Britian divided it back in 1947 and made a promise to Kashmiri people that it will be liberated and they will be made independent. We must fulfil our promises we made overseas decades ago. So, End to Imperialist war is a 100% needed in Kashmir. India is committing this genocide daily.
We must support any wrongdoers but at the same time dont judge any religion or nation. Blame isnt part of politics, politics means reasoning with logic.
Your support in this matter will be highly needed. And, rather every support is appreciated. And I urge you to read more into Kashmir. It is an open prison since 1947. I am in contact with the people of Kashmir on a regular basis and what I hear and see is beyond genocide and pain.
Kashmir is a humanitarian issue, it’s a matter of principle and justice. If we as a party can overlook injustice elsewhere because we don’t want to get our hands dirty, then the injustice will turn up at our door.
We should stand up against injustice everywhere whether it be Kashmir, Palestine, Sudan, Congo or Syria. We all bleed the same.
Whole heartedly agree with your post comrade Pendey
I concur with the earlier comment made by Tim. International issues where we have limited contributions to make and which hold little interest for the majority of the British working class do not serve the party as a whole. We have a sister organization in NO2NATO, which is a far more suitable channel for addressing such international matters.
Hi Alan,
Let’s not decide for the majority of the Working Class. I am a working class and a lot of people like myself have great interest in this and WPB is a great place to raise these issues.
As far as the contributions to make, let me reassure you that I have taken my personal time and aspiration to deal with this issue on the international platform and all I need is your support, rest I will work closely with the Leadership and others to bring solutions to the actual Genocide of Kashmir. If you do consider Kashmir situation to be a Genocide then I really hope you can shift your stance to helping them out here at WPB 🙂 Please read into it, I am sure you are an intellectual person who will value what I have proposed.
Hi Alan,
Would it not be a unique and great idea to vote this motion in and let me form a team to.start raising this on the international forum. Once their voice is heard and both Pakistan and India start to engage in a dialogue then Kashmir might find a closure. And therefore, our name as a party looks great in international solutions and support. People will show great appreciation and will see us a peacemakers. Also, large number of British Kashmiris will see this as a problem solved. It is a British Matter. I am a British Citizen and I would like to see Kashmir standing on their feet. This is good for both, Kashmir and the World. Did you know India has been committing genocide in Kashmir since 1947? Did you know Kashmiris have been in open prison since 1947? Did you know there is (1 Indian Army Soldier on every 10 Kashmiris)? This is what genocide looks like! 1 million Indian Army for 10 Million population in Indian Occupied Kashmir. What else do we need? We cant just back off from this real issue! Alan, there are over 1 Million Kashmiris living in the UK. Did you know this? So, they have the right to vote in the elections and we have a responsibility towards them, right?
My view is that India should restore article 370 and Pakistan should cease bankrolling and harboring Jaish-e-Taiba and other Islamist extremist groups that cause India (as well as China regarding Xinjiang) to enact draconian security measures to protect their populations from terrorism.
With that aside, I concur with Tim and Alan that the Workers Party has nothing to gain from passing such a motion. Let alone following through the proposals outlined in the motion. Our work capacity is stretched as it is popularising our party amongst British workers – our very modus operandi – running Kashmiri cultural exchanges and actively campaigning for (Kashmiri independence? Restoration of article 370? Greater autonomy for Kashmir? An alteration in the LOC?)
Let’s focus on winning the home front.
I appreciate JW for sharing your thoughts. I like your suggestions and I would like to take these on board and work on the resolution myself. I can assure you I wont need Partys funds or resources, I wish to work on this myself and bring together British and Kahmiri people, keeping your and British peoples wishes in mind. Let’s suppor this motion and see how far we get. It will win hearts of many British people as we will be on providing solution not creating problems. It also shows a better side of UK as an anti Imperialist State.
As some of you say, the UK’s involvement in the Kashmir conflict is a complex issue with potential consequences. However, there may be a strong argument for our limited involvement.
As a party led by George Galloway, famous for speaking the truth, especially for the working men and women and committed to supporting oppressed people, I would be interested to hear his current opinion on Kashmir.
During discussions in Crawley, we felt our position could include simply advocating for protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Kashmiris.
Using our influence to encourage a peaceful resolution between India and Pakistan, potentially acting as a mediator or facilitator. Raising awareness of the Kashmir issue within the UK, fostering public understanding and support for a peaceful resolution.
Crawley is a diverse community, and we unanimously voted YES to support Kashmir.
While local issues are our top priority, we will not stop addressing human rights atrocities. Despite being faced with strong opposition, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and Chagossians, and now we are highly respected for our strong stance.
While I openly admit my political knowledge is very limited, I believe voting yes is the right course of action. Therefore, I would support the motion for the Kashmiri people. The 1947 UN agreement, like many others, remains unfulfilled. The younger generations, like those in Palestine, are fighting for their history, their justice, and their culture.
I vote YES.
Beautifully said Linda. Thank you for understanding Kashmir issue in great depth and stating with clarity how important it is to Vote for this motion. I highly appreciate.
There is another reason I am cautious about this motion. The use of genocide – a word that is now thrown about far too easily. I note that Indian nationalists constantly refer absurdly to their position as one where Hindus suffer from ‘genocide’. Mass murder (which is frequent in Kashmir but also across much of the rest of the world because of historical legacies and exploitative economic structures) is pretty evil but a further bar has to be crossed to call something genocidal.
Even on Palestine, I preferred a concentration on demonstrable war crimes until the evidence arrived that significant figures with power in Israeli society were interested in and even determined on the obliteration of local Arab populations. Eventually enough evidence arrived to speak reasonably of genocide as a very likely outcome of Israeli operations and intent, that Israeli operations were indiscriminate and that some elements in their military and their political backers were little better than the thugs in Rwanda or on the Eastern Front.
But the key issue was that we, the British, had a Government that was fuelling the war with armament and support and crushing (as we saw this weekend) the civil liberties of those protesting war crimes or supporting Palestinian self-determination and (in fact) survival. With no influence over the Government in Jerusalem, we had to exercise what influence we had against the lack of moral compass and malignity of our own Government that dares to act in our name. The best help we can give Palestine is to become the Government here and then use the Cyprus bases to support Palestinian defence against war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide before we hand them back to the Cypriot people.
But we should always be careful of our terms, distinguishing between denial of rights (which you now see emerging in our own country), cultural oppression (e.g. of Russian-Ukrainians by nationalist Ukrainians), war crimes/terrorism (which almost every combatant in history has been guilty of because that is what war rapidly becomes), ethnic cleansing (the enforced movement of peoples accompanied by violence) and genocide (the actual or attempted extirpation of an ‘ethnos’ as we saw in the Holocaust and in Rwanda).
As to the WPB bringing a solution to the Kashmir ‘genocide’, then it is not going to happen except at the level of performative posturing like that of any other impotent liberal of the last half century. Even if we were in power. we could not send a gun boat to Kashmir even if we had any to spare (we can barely control our own borders). If there is a specific example of the British Government (past imperial behaviours of 80 years ago are now irrrelevant) having the power to dictate terms to New Delhi or Islamabad or the British Government being directly implicit in bad acts (as it is in the Chagos Islands and the supply of weaponry to Israel and Ukraine) then I would change my tune immediately … if the Motion was very specific about what could be done so that it had to be done. Is there something that the Government is doing that is contributing to the crisis?
However, the WPB eventually has to get out of the politics of constantly adding right-on policy positions in packages of measures that express moral stances that make us feel good but change nothing as if we were a 1970s university political club. The Left in Britain has been failing for many decades (since the 1970s). One of the reasons is that it rises and falls as inchoate movements of activists detached from ordinary households instead of rebuilding a nationwide network of community-based parties including Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Atheists (and whatever). After all, many of those now sitting in Government spent the first half of their political lives spouting moral positions to bamboozle people like us and then dropped them like hot potatoes as soon as they got a sniff of establishment approval.
We have to be the opposite. Organising not posturing and being determined only on policies that we could effect if we achieved power – and then ensuring that, in power, we never betrayed those policies because there would be no excuse not to implement them. Less emotion and fewer hobby horses. More cold, brute reason and political education. Less softness, more hardness albeit with compassion. There has to be a line drawn in my opinion – a policy has to be reasonably within our power and reasonably relevant to the Party’s national political strategy. Intervening to take sides in this dispute will alienate one side if not the other yet with nothing that the British people or Government can do about it. What next? Position-taking amongst Syrian factions? Alienating potential BRICS partners by interfering in their internal affairs?
I think this Motion will probably pass but I think it will be a mistake although, fortunately, not a mission-critical one. I am pleased to have the opportunity though to put forward a position that might be unpopular now but may be seen as the only path forward eventually.
Very well written Tim and I agree wholeheartedly.
Thanks Tim for you further addition.
Although, I agree to some points you raised, I do not agree with most of your statement as it doesnt seem to make any strong sense to me. I believe when this becomes our Party Policy, we have something to contribute towards it. We can start to brainstorm solutions. You cannot simply oppose a good intention we are holding. Let’s come forward and sit down to look for what can be done rather than throwing it our of the window completely.
We only wish to have WPB take this as a Party Policy so we can talk about it on British forums. We do not look to send a gunboat to Kashmir as you mentioned. Most things and almost everything these days is dealt in the houses of commons and approved at the Lords. So let’s keep it realistic and achieve targets for Kashmirs as our ancestors promised them. Even if not promised, let’s promise them that we will speak for them!
Many thanks Tim
I was born in India in a Hindu family. I have no hesitation in supporing the right of the people of Kashmir to self-determination.
In Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s address to the Indian Parliament in 1952, he supported a plebiscite in Kashmir and emphasised India’s unconditional acceptance of the outcome, regardless of any emotional distress it might cause. The absence of this plebiscite indicates that the so-called liberal Indian nationalism promoted by Congress Party under Nehru’s leadership and the current sectarian Hindu nationalism of the BJP are both deeply rooted in the same discriminatory philosophy.
Wow Tushar. I would love to personally meet with you and you should be on board. I speak with many Hindu and Indian friends. They said the same as yourself. Let’s use this strengths in the UK and bring focus to what was agreed between Pakistan and India in 1948. So our generations can have a better future. Right of self determination is the only way forward and its more understandable in the 21st Century. Let’s make Subcontinent great again. I am so moved to have your thoughts on board.
The following excerpt from Wikipedia may provide significant insight into the true nature of the conflict in Kashmir.
“In the British census of India of 1941, Kashmir registered a Muslim majority population of 77%, a Hindu population of 20% and a sparse population of Buddhists and Sikhs comprising the remaining 3%. That same year, Prem Nath Bazaz, a Kashmiri Pandit (Hindu) journalist wrote: “The poverty of the Muslim masses is appalling. … Most are landless laborers, working as serfs for absentee [Hindu] landlords … Almost the whole brunt of official corruption is borne by the Muslim masses.” Under Hindu rule, Muslims faced hefty taxation and discrimination in the legal system, and were forced into labor without any wages. Conditions in the princely state caused a significant migration of people from the Kashmir Valley to the Punjab of British India. For almost a century, until the census, a small Hindu elite had ruled over a vast and impoverished Muslim peasantry. Driven into docility by chronic indebtedness to landlords and moneylenders, having no education besides, nor awareness of rights, the Muslim peasants had no political representation until the 1930s.”
The aforementioned text not only pertains to Kashmir; it serves as a typical account of the historical process that transpired throughout the entire Indian subcontinent.
Thank you Tushar,
I second the facts provided by yourself and with this impartiality and honesty of Indian people and Hindus along with Muslims we shall definitely achieve what’s better for Kashmiris. I agree that when Majority are Muslim in todays Kashmir; it should not have been a big debate since 1947 as rightly said by Indian Journalists. I also feel some powers in the world have kept Pakistan and India occupied in this matter pf Kashmir to only keep them away from Success. We both nations can grow better if we have peace and harmony and Kashmir is resolved ASAP with their wishes, ground reality and wants.
NOTES ON THE POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF THE CONFLICT IN KASHMIR
Kashmir was ruled by the Durrani Empire of Afganistan from 1752.. It was then conquered by India’s Sikh Empire under Ranjit Singh..
The Raja of Jammu Gulab Singh, who was a vassal of the Sikh Empire and an influential noble in the Sikh court, sent expeditions to various border kingdoms and ended up encircling Kashmir by 1840.
Following the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–1846), Kashmir was ceded under the Treaty of Lahore to the East India Company, which transferred it to Gulab Singh through the Treaty of Amritsar, in return for the payment of indemnity owed by the Sikh empire. Gulab Singh took the title of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.
From 1846 till the 1947 partition of India, Kashmir was ruled by Sikh maharajas of Gulab Singh’s Dogra dynasty, as a princely state under British Paramountcy. The British Raj managed the defence, external affairs, and communications for the princely state.
British rule in the Indian subcontinent ended in 1947 with the creation of new states, the dominions of Pakistan and India, The British Paramountcy over the 562 Indian princely states ended. According to the Indian Independence Act 1947, “the suzerainty of His Majesty over the Indian States lapses, and with it, all treaties and agreements in force at the date of the passing of this Act between His Majesty and the rulers of Indian States”. States were thereafter left to choose whether to join India or Pakistan or to remain independent.
According to the 1941 census, the state’s population was 77 percent Muslim, 20 percent Hindu and 3 percent others (Sikhs and Buddhists). Despite its Muslim majority, the princely rule was an overwhelmingly a Hindu/Sikh -dominated state The Muslim majority suffered under the high taxes of the administration and had few opportunities for growth and advancement,
Jammu and Kashmir, the largest of the princely states, was then ruled by the Sikh Maharaja Hari Singh. (He contributed troops to the British government during the Second World War) Singh decided to pose independent for the time-being. But, On 11 August, 1947, the Maharaja dismissed his prime minister Ram Chandra Kak, who had advocated independence. Pakistanis decided to preempt this possibility by wresting Kashmir by force if necessary.[64
Faced with the Maharaja’s apparent indecision on accession, followers of the Muslim League in Pakistan worked in Poonch to encourage the local Muslims to an armed revolt.
Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan, the Maharaja’s nominee for his next prime minister, visited Nehru in Delhi on 19 September 1947, requesting essential supplies which had been blockaded by Pakistan since the beginning of September. He communicated the Maharaja’s willingness to accede to India. Nehru, however, demanded that the jailed political leader, Sheikh Abdullah, be released from prison and involved in the state government. Only then would he allow the state to accede.[72][73] The Maharaja released Sheikh Abdullah on 29 September.
The Maharaja’s troops could not withstand the tribal militia attack in September and October 1947; they were heavily outnumbered and outgunned by the tribal militias, and were also facing internal rebellions from Muslim troops. The Maharaja made an urgent plea to Delhi for military assistance.
Upon the then Governor General of India Lord Mountbatten’s insistence, India required the Maharaja to accede before it could send troops. Accordingly, the Maharaja signed an instrument of accession on 26 October 1947, which was accepted by the Governor General the next day. While the Government of India accepted the accession, it added the proviso that it would be submitted to a “reference to the people” after the state is cleared of the invaders, since “only the people, not the Maharaja, could decide where Kashmiris wanted to live.”; it was a provisional accession.
The expected “reference to the people” has not yet occurred.!!
(From Wikipedia with some editing)
Yes quite rightly explains what happened. These are good notes for anyone to read and learn from about Kashmir. Thank You for sharing.
The second sentence should read as follows: It was conquered by India’s Sikh Empire under Ranjit Singh in 1819.
I support this motion for the Kashmiri people because it is a matter of fundamental human rights. For many years, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have endured significant suffering due to violence and occupation.
They face severe issues such as illegal arrests, torture, killings, and restrictions on their freedom of speech, religious practice, and internet access. These actions violate international human rights laws and UN resolutions.
UN Resolution 47 and other similar resolutions clearly call for peace in the region and a fair plebiscite (vote) to determine Kashmir’s future. They also urge both India and Pakistan to withdraw troops and work together peacefully. Unfortunately, these resolutions have not been implemented.
Instead, in 2019, the Indian government revoked Articles 370 and 35A, stripping Kashmir of its special status and altering the population by settling outsiders, which contravenes UN rules.
This motion aims to raise awareness of these issues by organising events, engaging with local Members of Parliament, and using social media to educate the public.
We also propose collaborating with the UN to advocate for a peaceful resolution.
The Kashmiri people deserve justice, freedom, dignity, and the right to self-determination through a vote. It is our duty to support them and stand up for their rights.
Please consider the above and support our branch’s motion. Thank you for taking time to read this.
Thank You Larisa. I totally agree with you and much appreciated for speaking up the truth and supporting the Motion of Kashmir.
You ain’t going to win the working classes of Britain en masse with endless virtue signalling stances on issues in countries thousands of miles away. OK there’s good and bad and right and wrong, but granny stuck on an NHS waiting list, little Bobby not being to get an NHS Dentist, the cost of gas and electricity, the grocery bill, the lack of affordable education and training, the lack of job opportunities, the cost of renting, house price, open door immigration … this is what the working class of Britain care about and this is what they will vote for. Yes we could all do with a little more education on everything, but Kashmir… really… if you want to turn off the working classes and entertain the middle classes then pass a motion on Kashmir… but hear a million working class ears turn off and laugh at you as a party here to represent the Working classes in Britain
If it was possible for the East India Company to colonise Kashmir thousands of miles away, why is it difficult for the British Working class to help the Kasmiris determine their own future?
The East India Company was initially seen as one of many outsiders playing a role in quarrels between rival forces on the India Subcontinent. Even the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was just by some groups, and a lot of the locally recruited troops remained loyal to the London-appointed government. Nationalism came later, but has become a fixed and unalterable fact of life.
Hi Paul,
Trust me I cannot agree with you more on NHS lists and others things we need in Britain. We are simply moving this motion as an extra thing on top of our Working Class priorities for Beitish People. Although, I want you to also consider Kashmir 1million British expecting here from us.
Hope you can review your stance and see what we aim to do. For British people we are working day and night and Must continue to and we shall! Maybe a little for Kashmirs too as they look up to us. We must be proud of this. Makes us strong
Kashmir ,
I support the motion regarding Kashmir , I hope that the issue is resolved without conflict with humanity for the people of Kashmir at our hearts in how we approach this and make a positive impact on their future!
It is pointless, because no Indian government is going to retreat on Kashmir. They will not even drop their claim on China’s Aksai Chin, which is part of their Kashmir claim and utterly useless to them.
Only a war might change this, such as the one that India used to give independence to what’s now Bangladesh. And the Turkish Republic did to create Northern Cyprus, not recognised by any outsiders, but people still do business there.
The United Nations gives opinions but never enforces them. The most serious attempt, the former Belgian Congo in 1960, was an abomination. The USA hijacked it and they deposed the elected leftist Prime Minister, who was later murdered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congo_Crisis
We should admit to powerlessness on the matter. And would remain unable to help even if we eventually become the government of Britain.
Hi M.Williams,
I see what you are trying to say. However, staying optimistic is the only way forward in life. I can assure you that if we make an effort and raise the voice, mountains can be moved. Kashmir is a small thing. We as a Party just need to raise the voice. I will form a small team of interested members and will raise it professionally. I’m sure one day Pakistan and India will understand and this is what we want.
If USA can sort issues in Qatar, why can we sort them between Pakistan and India. We will just support Pakistan and Indian in achieving that. Not spoonfeed them. Just direct them and engage with them diplomatically
And this is something Britain does daily with many nations. Not a new thing.
We cant lose Hope. Hope is the only thing that keeps us going 🙂
One of the main reasons I joined the Workers Party was it because of its strong stance on human rights. This is what sets us apart and define our values and it is for this very reason that I fully support the motion for the Kashmiri people. I strongly disagree with the notion that we should distance ourselves from it, as much as from any other human rights issue. Limiting ourselves to a narrow insular viewpoint undermines our full potential.
I believe that the fight for oppressed people is intrinsically linked to the fight of the working class. As a party we should always embrace our role as advovates for justice and equality, both at home and abroad. While we may not have direct power to enact change on global scale, we can make a significant difference by spreading awareness.
As a party we should always aspire to be leaders in the fight for human rights and stand for the oppressed, regardless where the they are in the world. While it is absolutely true that we need to tackle the national devastating issues propelled by the current and previous governments (lack of affordable education, lack of affordable homes, NHS at the bring of collapse etc), our fight to overcome these internal issues and our stand for global human rights are not mutually exclusive. We can and should be be the party that makes a difference at home and on a global scale.
It is a YES vote from me.
Dear Silvia,
I highly appreciate your comment and this is what makes us Workers Party Great Britain! We stand with humanity whether in UK or Abroad. I completely agree with you and thank you again!