Kashmir on the Brink & Calling for Global Intervention: Dr Fai
New York: On May 7, the Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), an advocacy organization, rented mobile digital advertising trucks flashing high quality images around New York City calling for an independent international investigation into the Pahalgam attack, says a WKAF message.
The route of digital trucks in New York was the United Nations headquarters, offices of various UN Missions, Freedom Tower, Indian Mission; Columbus Circle, Midtown Manhattan area and Times Square.
Times Square is one of the world's busiest pedestrian areas and sees an estimated 330,000 people pass through it daily. Mobile billboards here can capture the attention of a diverse and international audience. Positioning near the United Nations headquarters can directly engage diplomats, international delegates, and global media, emphasizing the call for an international intervention in Kashmir. Columbus Circle & Midtown Manhattan areas are hubs for both locals and tourists, ensuring widespread message dissemination.
The electronic screens on the trucks carried messages such as “Modi Government Exhibit Some Sanity: Nuclear Clash Will Threaten Half the Humanity.”
Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, World Forum for Peace & Justice, strongly condemned the heinous attack on innocent Indian tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Violence targeting innocent civilians is unjustifiable under any circumstance. The people of Kashmir are the biggest victim of terrorism, and they will bear the brunt of this escalation.
Dr Fai added that it was heartening to know that President Donald Trump has urged India and Pakistan to end what is being described as “the worst violence in two decades,” and offered US assistance to defuse tensions. In what military analysts now call one of the largest and longest air battles in modern history, 125 fighter jets from India and Pakistan faced off near the Line of Control. It goes without saying that a leader who helps resolve the Kashmir conflict, restores peace, and prevents war between two nuclear states would not just deserve gratitude, but the Nobel Peace Prize and a special place in history. The resolution of the dispute will bring unparalleled honor to the one who helps to achieve it. That honor could be yours, Mr President Donald J. Trump.
Dr Fai warned that recent retaliatory airstrikes, civilian casualties including the death of 31 Kashmiri and Pakistani civilians, and continued cross border violence have created a climate of fear and instability. Kashmiris are suffering, this cycle of revenge is not only inhumane, it is unsustainable. Diplomacy must return to the center. The time for the world to act is now. The United Nations and global powers must step in, not to take sides, but to uphold peace, justice, and the right of Kashmiris to determine their future. The longer the international community delays, the greater the risk of an irreversible catastrophe.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres noted on X that tensions between India and Pakistan "are at their highest in years." He emphasized that it was "essential" for both nations to "avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control," adding: "Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution."
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, herself a survivor of regional violence, has also made a heartfelt appeal for calm, urging both governments to put their people first. It is time to listen. Kashmir cannot wait any longer.
Shams Zaman, a prominent human rights activist and the President, Pakistan American Society, felt that Kashmir was at the brink of a potential nuclear holocaust, and this holocaust was occurring because the root cause of freedom for Kashmir had not been adequately addressed. Kashmir has ignited two wars between the estranged South Asian rivals in 1948 and 1965, and a third could trigger nuclear volleys and a nuclear winter threatening the entire globe.
Sardar Taj Khan, Vice Chairman, Kashmir Mission, USA said that more than 2,000 Kashmiris were detained without any charges and more than 60 houses were razed to rubble in Kashmir after the Pahalgam massacre. The common man on the street is asking: is this justice or collective punishment? Sardar Taj added that those who are interested in world peace are urged to persuade both India and Pakistan to help resolve the Kashmir dispute for the sake of international peace and security.
Advocate Sardar Imtiaz Khan Garalvi said that Kashmiris have been suffering for the last 78 years. The people and the government of Pakistan have always given top priority to the cause of Kashmir. - gnfai2003@yahoo.com
Dr Fai is Secretary General of World Kashmir Awareness Forum.
