Lord Nazir Ahmed Demands International War Tribunal on Kashmir
LONDON, Sept 10 (News Agencies) - Lord Nazir Ahmed has demanded the creation of an international war tribunal on Kashmir to prosecute those persons involved in crimes, including killing and raping, committed against the Kashmiri people. The U.K.'s first Lord of Pakistani origin was speaking to the Associated Press of Pakistan news agency at his offices in London on Sunday.
"I have spoken with the International War Crimes Tribunal and the U.N. officials in [The] Hague, and I am working with an idea that there should be war crimes tribunal for Kashmir as well," he said.
He lambasted Indian Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani and Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah for their alleged role in massacres in the region.
"Mr. Advani and Farooq Abdullah should be on the top of the list, as well as their other [Indian] generals and officials responsible for the murder and the genocide," he said.
Advani has recently hinted he is willing to provide an amnesty to Indian occupation force personnel involved in killings in Kashmir. His comments have provoked widespread condemnation by human rights organizations.
Lord Ahmed said the international criminal court should at least probe into human rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir, if it is not willing to establish a tribunal on the lines of Yugoslavia.
"If we have the database and information already prepared on people like Advani and Farooq Abdullah, then as soon as the international criminal court is established, these people's files will actually go in," he said.
Lord Nazir said that the Kashmir conflict should be resolved through dialogue. "Nothing can be resolved through the military means. Even people have to sit down with Nazis in Germany when the whole world was on the other side. And you still have to sit down with Advani and his friends, whatever the circumstances are."
Soon after the interview, Lord Ahmed left for Pakistan on a 10-day tour. Apart from attending the World Workers Conference in Islamabad, he is also due to meet President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
