UK Parliamentary Re-affirms on Indo-Naga Peace Talks

UK PARLIAMENTARY GROUP RE-AFFIRMS THE KEY ROLE OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND URGES PROGRESS INDO-NAGA IN PEACE TALKS

The first meeting of the Advisory Panels of 'Parliamentarians for National Self-Determination' (PNSD), held at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on 25 July 2007, saw perhaps an unprecedented coming together, within a formal Parliamentary setting, of representatives from a number of nations offering mutual support for each other's national struggles for self determination. As well as deliberating on the strategy for PNSD in highlighting causes for peacefully implementing this means of conflict resolution, the meeting sent out a call for an extension of the Indo-Naga ceasefire so that a meaningful dialogue might lead to a peaceful solution to that conflict in accordance with Naga national rights in international law.

Lord Nazir Ahmed chaired the meeting and welcomed the delegates from the Kurdish, Naga, Sikh and Kashmir Advisory Panels which have been appointed to assist PNSD over recent months to brief the Parliamentary group on the respective causes that they cover. He reaffirmed PNSD's mission to advance national self-determination through exclusively peaceful means, in order to secure democratically legitimate outcomes and just settlements to long outstanding conflicts. He said in the age of the so-called 'war on terror' it was vital for struggling nations to maintain their noble causes despite the ongoing oppression that they face and their vilification by ruling elites; history he said was witness to the fact that the forces of freedom and justice were ultimately stronger than those of colonialism whatever its form.

PNSD's Administrative Secretary, Ranjit Srai, said it was equally important to remind policy and decision makers at the national and international level that self-determination was recognised in international law as a fundamental human right and that the UN itself has declared that without the collective right of self-determination all individual human rights were capable of being abused. The enthusiastic response of a range of nations to the formation of PNSD, together with the support it has received from UK Parliamentarians and bodies such as the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO) showed the importance of the work that PNSD has undertaken since it was formed in 2006.

Professor Timothy Kaping, President of the Naga Support Group (UK), briefed PNSD on the current ceasefire and dialogue between India and the Naga nation and lamented that no visible result had emerged due to the lack of boldness and sagacity on the part of the Indian Government which continues its futile attempt to impose the Indian constitution on the Nagas. The meeting was especially concerned by the forthcoming expiry of the ceasefire and unanimously passed a Resolution urging the parties to extend the ceasefire and to pursue meaningful dialogue, without pre-conditions.

It was agreed that this should be communicated to the parties by PNSD in an effort to assist them in taking forward the peace process.Akif Wan of the Kurdistan National Congress informed the meeting of the current threat of large-scale Turkish military action against the Kurds in their homeland, despite the US opposition to the move. The recent election results in Turkey showed that the Kurds were determined to secure their civil and political rights even thought the electoral system was designed to stop the Kurds being an effective political force. He said the EU has an opportunity to influence Turkey in the context of EU accession talks so that Kurdish rights are respected and the UK was of course a player in that context.

Ghulam Mohammad Safi of Tehreek-e- Hurriyat, based in Jammu and Kashmir, spoke about the urgent need to involve the people themselves if there was to be a durable, lawful and just settlement to the Kashmir conflict. Rejecting the recent suggestions of the President Musharraf which he said were not acceptable to Kashmiris, he also condemned the human rights abuses and intransigence of India which continues to claim J&K as its own when the entire world sees it clearly as disputed territory in need of international settlement. He said the only way forward was for the implementation of the right of self-determination in accordance with international law which offers a peaceful outcome as well as the only means of delivering a democratic mandate. He recalled how the UN had already determined that a plebiscite was the key to resolving the dispute, without which the suffering and injustice was bound to continue.

Amrik Singh Sahota, OBE, President of the Council of Khalistan said the Sikh nation was committed to secure an independent sovereign state of Khalistan, in accordance with the decision taken by the Sarbat Khalsa (National Gathering) on 26 January 1986. He said the illegal suppression of Sikh political activism by the Indian security forces made a mockery of the recent elections in Punjab and called for international action to stop the arrest and detention of Sikh leaders in recent weeks. Senior Sikh leaders, who call for exclusively peaceful means to be used to secure self-determination, are being detained and charged with sedition.


The UK Government must take up these abuses with India which, until such time as it complies with all its international obligations including human rights, should not be given a berth at the UN Security Council.Mohammad Ghalib of Tehreek-e- Kashmir said PNSD has undertaken an important role and should highlight the crucial role of self-determination as widely as possible. As well as a high profile event at Westminster later this year, it was important for concerned individuals to brief their individual MPs in order to ensure policy makers were fully informed about these conflicts and aware of the progressive solutions PNSD was putting forward. He also spoke of the acute need of oppressed nations to work together in common cause to defeat those who would deny freedom loving peoples their birth right of dignity, security and independence.

Estella Shmidt of 'Peace in Kurdistan' briefed the meeting about a forthcoming PNSD publication concerning the Kurds and pointed out the need to ensure that freedom of speech and legitimate political activity, related to struggles for national liberation, was not prejudiced by current and proposed legislation in the UK. Ben Hayes of 'Statewatch' briefed the meeting about the legislative back ground and Lord Ahmed pledged to take this up as part of his response to the forthcoming debates following the next Queen's Speech setting out the legislative proposals of the Gordon Brown led Government.The meeting noted with satisfaction the impressive progress made by the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru in forming administrations in the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and PNSD pledged to offer those parties its full support in their principled and democratic campaigns for national self-determination.

PNSD will work closely with those parties and others who share the principles and goals of this Parliamentary group and its Advisory Panels.

Ranjit Singh Srai,Administrative Secretary,'Parliamentarians for National
Self-Determination'pnsdsecretariat@aol;com