The Foreign Affair Symposium hosted a discussion on the Kashmiri conflict, featuring a debate between experts on the region about the impact of the struggle in Kashmir on international politics and a discussion of the peacekeeping role of the United States.
The panel featured Mohammad Sadiq, minister and deputy chief of mission for the Pakistani Embassy; Ghulam Nabi Fai, president of the Kashmiri American Council; and Bob Guida, chairman of Americans for Resolution of Kashmir.
The territory of Kashmir, which is positioned between India and Pakistan, has been under dispute for over a half of a century, and is currently held by India despite bloody contention in the area.
Sadiq spoke about Pakistan's stance on the conflict, and the role that Pakistan is playing in the peacekeeping efforts.
"It is crucial to inform the public on Kashmir. Unless it is resolved there will be no prosperity in South- east Asia," Sadiq said. "The United States' scientific, military and economic power is unparalleled."
However, Sadiq said that international outreach to Kashmir has been limited, despite the global impact a possible nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan could create.
"Kashmir is a nuclear clash point, which makes it an international dispute that affects the whole world," he said.
Commenting on Pakistan's position on the conflict, Sadiq added, "Pakistan believes that Kashmir should decide their fate."
He also commented that the human rights violations occurring in the region cannot be ignored, saying, "Every single day people are dying, human rights violations are taking place. Kashmir cannot be put on the backburner any longer -- the longer the delay the more casualties there will be."
He also emphasized the importance of the Kashmir people in the dialogue about their future.
Sadiq said, "India and Pakistan need a process with timelines to discuss Kashmir. The international community should ensure the continuation of a dialogue."
The debate continued as Fai spoke about his hope for peace in the region, as well his concerns surrounding the leadership of India and Pakistan in their efforts for resolution.
Fai criticized Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India, for being inconsistent on the issue of Kashmir.
"[Singh] says he wants to find a peaceful settlement, and then later rules out the possibility of talking about Kashmir. These are confusing statements from a person of importance," Fai said.
He then encouraged the establishment of dialogue at different levels, with an inter-Kahsmiri dialogue and one between the leadership of Kashmir and the Indian government.
The next speaker addressed the extensive human rights violations in Kashmir as a particularly unsettling part of the conflict.
Guida, deputy leader of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, brought a handmade doll along to the discussion given to him by three Kashmiri teenagers, saying, "I have made two trips to the region. I received this doll from three teenagers who were victims of gang rape by the Indian military."
He added, "Currently there are 700,000 troops, half of the Indian standing army, occupying Kashmir. There is one armed soldier in the region for every eleven people. They are watching what people say, and seeing where their loyalties stand."
Guida commented that this number of occupying forces is five times the number of armed forces that are in Iraq, and argued that the consequences of stationing such a force in the region harm civilians.
"Homes and businesses are burned, men are tortured and killed and most likely tonight an Indian soldier or squad will break into a woman's home and do the unthinkable," Guida said. "I went to a refugee camp and saw young men missing limbs, and met a 55-year-old man whose wife and daughter and been raped and killed in his house."
He added, "Kashmir is a humanitarian disaster."
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