Helping our brothers and sisters in Kashmir is the responsibility of all Muslims. We must speak out against the atrocities and demand a fair settlement of the issue.

Br. Ghulam Nabi Fai is the executive director of the Kashmiri-American Council (KAC) in Washington, D.C. Br. Mushtaq Jeelani is executive director of the Kashmiri-Canadian Council (KCC) in Scarborough, Ontario.

Generally, the strategies they have suggested are focused on educating others about Kashmir, and applying political pressure locally to try to change the situation there.

Both of them have provided practical ideas of what we can do, and in some cases YesPakistan.com Staff has added its own ideas below:

Tip #1: Inform Yourself

To be able to get any message across, you have to know what you're talking about. Three websites you can consult which provide backgrounds and current developments about the situation in Kashmir are the KAC's site at http://www.erols.com/gfai/index.html, the KCC's site at http://www.kashmiri-cc.ca and http://www.ummah.net/kashmir/, maintained by Gharib Hanif.

Tip #2: Write A Letter To Your MP, Senator, Or Congress Person

Drafting a letter to your Member of Parliament, Senator or Congress person is the next step.

Tip #3: Make Presentations

Arrange a formal visit to your local MP, Senator or Congressperson to make a brief presentation on Kashmir: where it is, what's going on there, and what we should do, using the above-mentioned points.

Stress that Canada, the United States and Britain all co-sponsored the 1948 United Nations resolution that envisaged a cease fire, the withdrawal of all outside forces from Kashmir, and a plebiscite under the control of an administrator that would be nominated by the Secretary General.

This point should stress that Americans, Canadians and the British have a duty to Kashmir.

If going alone is too daunting or difficult, co-ordinate with others and go as a group.

Tip #4: Talk To The Academics

Br. Mushtaq of the KCC encouraged the student community, in particular, to educate academics who specialize in South Asia, or South Asian studies about Kashmir.

We should remember that academics are often considered experts in their field. Showing them another side of the Kashmir issue can help shift the perspective.

Tip #5: Meet And Use The Press

Making presentations to and meeting with media professionals about Kashmir is also crucial. Kashmir, as mentioned above, has been presented by the media primarily as an Indian-Pakistani dispute.

Use the same above-mentioned points to emphasize that the conflict in Kashmir is about 13 million Kashmiris, their political aspirations, rights, and the human rights abuses they face.

Journalists need to be informed about what's going on there and encouraged to include a Kashmiri perspective on developments in the area.

If this perspective cannot be obtained from Kashmir, then direct them to organizations like the KAC or the KCC.

Also, write letters to the editor and opinion pieces in newspapers and magazines about Kashmir. Respond when anyone tries to cover up atrocities, or frame this as an issue solely about India and Pakistan.

Tip #6: Start A Petition

There was a time when collecting signatures on a petition meant standing around for hours and hours, flagging down anyone and everyone, and convincing people that your petition was worthy of their signature. But with the advent of the internet, collecting a million or more signatures is no longer labour intensive. There are many online petition sites where you can start a petition and then email the url to everyone in your address book. Each recipient can then forward it to everyone they know and so on and so on. Anyone who's interested can go to the site, sign the petition, and make comments. Once you've collected enough signatures, you can forward the petition to whichever government agency you want.

Some Important Addresses And Numbers

In The United States:

The White House:
Comment line 202-456-1111
Fax: 202-456-2461
E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov

The US Congress:
Call the Capitol Switchboard to get the name of your Senator and the
Congressman: 202-224-3121

The State Department:
Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell
Public Communication Division
Bureau of Public Affairs, R. 5827
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520-6810
Tel. 202-647-6575

To give your opinion on U.S. foreign policy:
secretary@state.gov
write/fax:
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
Fax: 202-261-8577

In Canada

Government of Canada Telephone Assistance (provides numbers of people and departments in Ottawa) 613-954-8211

Website of the Canadian Parliament
http://www.parl.gc.ca/

The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Telephone: 613-992-4211
Fax: 613-941-6900
Email: pmo@pm.gc.ca

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/18/2002 8:05:41 AM

Readers' Comment

: 6/2/2005 3:07:50 AM
Gosh you jerks! Save your own people before you "save" your "brothers and sisters of Kashmir", if they were your "brother and sisters in Kashmir" you would not instigate violence and crime in Kashmir. First, get sense into your bloated heads, then know that life is not religion, and religion is only a way of life..

: 6/2/2005 3:10:21 AM
Oh for Christ's sake, stop preaching about God, when you dont know anything about HIM. God would never preach violence...God is like a mother.. so stop preaching violence

Indian: 7/23/2005 7:18:57 AM
Get signatures from your Pakistani brothers and sisters on whether to provide support and assistance to terrorists or not. Thw world knows that Pakistan sponsors terrorism

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