Veteran Kashmiri Political leader Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri’s family

refused to renewal of the passports by Pakistani embassy in Switzerland.

A nationalist Kashmiri politician has alleged that Pakistan Embassy in Bern,

Switzerland, has refused the renewal of passports of his family allegedly on the
instructions of intelligence officials of Pakistan. Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, leader
of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), who hails from Rawalakot in
Administered Kashmir, took political refuge in Switzerland in 2001 after fleeing
from Pakistan, where was twice detained  and tortured allegedly by members of the
secret services, first in 1992 and second time in 1998.

From his base in Switzerland, Mr. Kashmiri has become a rallying point for hard-left
and nationalist factions mainly from Pakistan, Administered Kashmir and Indian-
administered Kashmir. Sardar Shaukat Kashmiri has sent The News a copy of the
letter from the interior ministry dated 1st of July this year in which the interior
ministry directives to the Pakistani embassy in Switzerland and asked for the
renewal of the passports of Mr. Kashmiri’s family. The Ministry of Interior
intervened on the request of left-wing Senator Mir Hasail Khan Bizenjo, a lifetime
friend of Mr. Kashmiri, after he suspected that the embassy was taking
exceptionally long time to respond. But the embassy officials in Switzerland have
openly defied the orders of Rahman Malik’s Interior Ministry, once again reinforcing
the perception that the current civilian government enjoys little authority when it
concerns matters related to foreign policy issues

The embassy officials took the full fees in March 2010 for the renewal of the
passports of Mr. Kashmiri’s wife, 2 daughters and four sons but are refusing to
return the passports now. Speaking to media, Mr. Kashmiri confirmed that a senior
embassy official had told him that intelligence agencies are against the
renewal of passports of the Kashmiri family.  The News has learned that at least
two senior leaders of Pakistani People and an alliance party also took up the case of
Mr. Kashmiri and Mr. Rahman Malik had assured them that Mr. Kashmiri’s case is
resolved and there was no need to worry.

Sardar Shaukat says he has been told that Pakistan’s premier spy agency Inter
Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) has ordered the embassy not to renew the
passports of his family members. “I have done nothing wrong. I have been a vocal
defender of Pakistan’s civil society and campaigned for the restoration of democracy
and human rights in Pakistan and for the media freedoms.
As a Kashmiri and son of soil I have a different perspective on Kashmir, that may
not be liked by Pakistan but does that make me an enemy of the state of Pakistan?
he questioned speaking to his party workers and media over telephone from his
home in Switzerland. “The case of my family exposes the real governance in the
country and the lack of authority of the interior ministry. While living in exile I lost
many family members and have been unable to go to their graves or meet my
relatives for over a decade now.

Is this justice,” questioned Sardar Shaukat. Baseer Naveed of Asian Human Rights
Commission, who is running a campaign in support of Mr Kashmiri’s family, said
what Pakistani embassy is doing is the gross violation of fundamental right of the
citizens.

“According to the article 12.3 of UN international covenant on civil and political right
every citizen has the right to leave the country and return back. It is also gross
violation of freedom of movement. Pakistan president has ratified the ICCPR by
signing it but government does not know what the requirements of ICCPR are. This
is really a mockery. This act of a Pakistani mission exposes the situation of failure
of rule of law. This means that civilian set up has no authority at all,” he told The
News in a statement from Hong Kong.

http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2010/3529/

http://www.sananews.net/urdu/archives/22773

http://www.sananews.net/english/2010/08/29/ahrc-concerned-over-not-issuing-new-passports-to-pak-
family/

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/38734.html

http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2010-daily/31-08-2010/cities/quetta/index.html

Jamil Maqsood

General Secretary

United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP), Belgium.

Cell: + 32 484 062 952.