Amanullah Khan Remembered in Washington
Washington, DC: Americans of Azad Kashmir ancestry in Washington metropolitan area paid tribute to the late Amanullah Khan Sahib, Chairman, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front.
Yamin Khan was generous enough to greet a large number of families to his new house opening ceremony at Woodbridge, Virginia. He thanked the guests for their prayers, good wishes, and participation. Yamin Khan said that we will never forget the contribution and the tireless efforts of Aman Sahib for the cause of Kashmir. And we are confident that the selfless efforts of Aman Sahib will never go in vain.
“Amanullah Khan Sahib was a symbol of sacrifice and decency who struggled tirelessly for the right of self-determination of the people of Jammu & Kashmir; and who remained undoubtedly true to the cause of Kashmir until the end of his life. Aman Sahib’s message to the Kashmiri Diaspora was to disconnect themselves from Kashmiri political parties and become Kashmiris and Kashmiris alone to gain their right of self-determination, said Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, Washington-based, World Kashmir Awareness Forum.
One thing is beyond doubt that Aman Sahib had defined the parameters about the talks. One, that the issue of Kashmir was about the right of self-determination; second that the right of self-determination has to be unrestricted; third that the leadership of the people of Kashmir can never be sidelined in any final settlement, Fai added.
Sardar Zarif Khan, Secretary General, Kashmir American Welfare Association (KAWA), while thanking the guests for their participation, said that Aman Sahib had made it clear time and again that he was primarily an advocate of the people of Kashmir and was never against the prosperity of the people or the state of India or Pakistan. Sardar Zarif Khan added that Aman Sahib always stressed that unprejudiced resolution of Kashmir was not only in the best interest of the people of Kashmir but also in the interest of both India and Pakistan who are spending billions of dollars on their military might.
Sardar Zubair Khan emphasized that we need to seek the understanding of the American policy-making agencies to help resolve the Kashmir conflict according to the wishes and aspirations of the people of Kashmir. He said that the sacrifice of Aman Sahib will never go in vain.
Other guests present on the occasion included: Sardar Shoaib Irshad, Farooq Khan, Tariq Khan, Professor Saeed Khan, Azhar Khan, Hayat Khan, Shakil Khan, Khurram Zulfiqar, and Sardar Aftab Roshan.
(Dr Fai is the Secretary General of World Kashmir Awareness - gnfai2003@yahoo.com )
