Kashmir EU Week 2016
‘Constraints and Resources’ was the theme of the 2016 Kashmir-EU Week held in the premises of the European Parliament. The event was organised by the Kashmir Council-EU with the support and collaboration of the Friends of Kashmir Group of the European Parliament. Our host in the European Parliament was Dr Sajjad Karim MEP. The conference brought together representatives of different interest groups, EU policymakers, and intellectuals, in a neutral environment where all participants were able to freely discuss important issues raised by the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The human rights situation has continued to deteriorate dramatically resulting in over 100 civilian casualties, over 70 blinded due to the use of pellet guns and over 14,000 injured civilians. Issues surrounding the protection of the most vulnerable sections of the population such as women, children and the elderly people have also been discussed.
Highlights of the programme
Session I: Blinded by Power
- The first session of the conference was chaired jointly by Dr Sajjad Karim (MEP) and Mrs Jean Lambert (MEP), the chair of the EP Delegation for Relations with South Asia (DSAS). The aim of the session was to draw the conclusions and identify who gains by maintaining the status quo in Kashmir. In whose interest is it that the conflict is allowed to drag on unresolved? What are the costs of finding a sustainable solution and who would need to pay these costs?
Session II: The Struggle of Kashmiri Diaspora: Constraints and Resources
- The second session of the conference sought to identify what are the constraints and resources of the Kashmiri diaspora living across the world. The goal of the session was to find common ground in the Kashmir struggle for peace and to pursue a more successful joint initiative. Within this session, a great deal of the allocated time was devoted to looking at the economic and social performance of the Kashmir administrations and comparing this performance with the needs of the population in terms of health, education, employment, among others. The Conference programme ended with the preparation of a draft Final Statement presented to the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
The photos from the event are now available in the gallery or by clicking here.