The Justice Foundation at a glance

The Justice Foundation Kashmir Centre in London was set up by Dr Ayub Thakur, an icon in Kashmir freedom struggle and after his sudden death in 2004 Professor Nazir A Shawl succeeded him as Executive Director.
 
It is a non-partisan, non-governmental organisation that seeks justice and peace for the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir, not aligning itself with any of the political parties of India or Pakistan; it does not campaign for a resolution of the dispute in accordance with the wishes of either of those two countries.

The Foundation exists to keep the issue of human rights and the conflict in Kashmir on the political and diplomatic agendas through encouraging the debate within the journalistic and academic communities on both sides of the divide.

Through a variety of programmes it aims to educate politicians and the public of the history of the Kashmir dispute whilst simultaneously encouraging a peaceful resolution between all the relevant parties and most important of all, the Kashmiri people.

The Foundation believes that the people of Kashmir have an inalienable right to self-determination as guaranteed by the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Convention.  So we look to the wider international community to help facilitate the realisation of this right.

Conferences organised by The Justice Foundation
Kashmir Centre

The first international peace conference on Kashmir was held in October 2004 entitled ‘Stability, Peace and Security in South Asia’.  To commemorate this first conference, a book of the same title was published documenting the ideas and deliberations of the various speakers who attended.

The following year in November 2005 a conference was organised to highlight the tragic earthquake which had devastated Kashmir and parts of Pakistan and India the month before.  This conference title was ‘Kashmir after the earthquake – rebuilding together’ and the British Minister of State for International Development, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, was our keynote speaker.

The second international peace conference on Kashmir was held in March 2006 it’s title being ‘Peace in South Asia – prospects for the India and Pakistan Composite dialogue’.  It was from this conference that the concept of a Round Table Working Group on Kashmir transpired and which David Ervine MLA from Northern Ireland was elected to be its first Chairman.

This year in November 2007 our third international peace conference will take place under the title of ‘Sixty years of the Kashmir dispute – a way forward’ where we have invited all the various Kashmiri leaders to attend.

The Round Table Working Group on Kashmir

In early 2006 the idea of a Round Table Working Group on Kashmir came about as a way of providing a follow up to the ideas raised at the March 2006 international peace conference on Kashmir. 

The working group being composed initially of resource people, conflict resolution practitioners and people concerned in advancing peace in Kashmir, explored the idea of acting as:
 

1. A Peace Catalyst to raise ideas for promoting and advancing peace in the region.
2. A Peace Network which would provide access to both international and local actors to collaborate and provide synergy to their efforts, putting the primacy on local peace efforts and stakeholders.
3. A Peace Resource by convening resource people and exploring resources that may be required to build capacity and to address peace needs in Kashmir; drawing lessons from comparative experiences in other regions of conflict which respond to concrete questions raised by the peace process – both formal and informal in Kashmir to contribute to better peace practice.

Some of the possible projects which we are looking at are:

1. A Dialogue Project which is envisioned as an intra-Kashmiri dialogue within each of the divided territories and subsequently across the Line of Control conferring with previous work or discussions by other groups in this regard.
2. A Parliamentarian Project which would involve parliamentarians from the United Kingdom, Norway India and Pakistan to meet with political leaders and civil society leaders in Kashmir.
3. Improving the Human Rights situation by undertaking reconciliation efforts through meeting or working with the vulnerable victims such as the widows and orphans.

 The Round Table Working Group

The Working Group has met on several occasions to discuss how to go forward with some of the projects which were identified. Our first seminar was held in late August 2006 in the House of Commons. This meeting was entitled ‘Parliamentarians Discourse on Kashmir – Ascertaining the wishes of the people’.

The Group’s work and plans tragically had to be curtailed in January 2007 when it’s Chairman, David Ervine unexpectedly died from a heart attack. 

We were privileged to know David, a man of extraordinary leadership and vision having been involved in the Northern Ireland peace process.  

He brought with him invaluable insights to the Foundation by sharing those lessons learnt in the Irish quest for bringing peace to their divided island and through his vast and committed experience of advancing peace elsewhere in the world.

We are now indeed fortunate to have John Cushnahan at the helm who has had a brilliant career in European politics and was former Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament and their Chief Observer for the elections in Sri Lanke in the years 2000, 2001 and 2004 and in Pakistan in 2002.

It was John Cushnahan who led the ad hoc delegation of the European Parliament to Kashmir in 2003 – 2004 writing his discerning and definitive report on the visit, and who later described Kashmir as ‘the world’s most beautiful prison’.

With his knowledge and deep involvement in South Asia and his expertise in peace processes in that region, we look forward to his wisdom and guidance during his tenure.

The Advisory Council of the Justice Foundation
Kashmir Centre 2007

Officers

President                       Cllr Dr Zulfiqar Ali JP
Vice President              Cllr Qurban Hussain
Secretary General         Mr Naveed Manga Khan
Treasurer                       Mr Riaz Raza

Members

Professor Zafar Khan
Mr Raja Mohammed Ayub
Mr Ch Mohammed Khan
Mr Raja Mohammed Eshaq Khan
Mr Waheed Akbar
Mr Tahir Aziz

The Round Table Working Group on Kashmir

 John Cushnahan                     Chairman                                   Ireland                                          
Nazir A Shawl                        Executive Director JFKC         GB                  
Ed Garcia                               International Alert                     GB                                               
Andy Carl                               Conciliation Resources             GB                  

Harsh Mander                         Centre for Equity Studies          India
                  
Brian Cox                               International Centre for
                                                Religion and Diplomacy             USA               
Brendan McAllister               Mediation Northern Ireland      NI                    
Ian White                                Glencree                                      Ireland                                         
Michael Hammer                   One World Trust               GB
                            
Martin Salter MP                   Member of Parliament     GB                 
Mushahid Syed                      Pakistan Senate                            Pakistan                                      
Zulfiqar Ali                            Councillor and JP                       GB
                            
Zafar Khan                    Metropolitan University             GB
                  
Tahir Aziz                               Conciliation Resources              GB                                                                 

The Justice Foundation at a glance

The Justice Foundation Kashmir Centre in London was set up by Dr Ayub Thakur, an icon in Kashmir freedom struggle and after his sudden death in 2004 Professor Nazir A Shawl succeeded him as Executive Director.
 
It is a non-partisan, non-governmental organisation that seeks justice and peace for the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir, not aligning itself with any of the political parties of India or Pakistan; it does not campaign for a resolution of the dispute in accordance with the wishes of either of those two countries.

The Foundation exists to keep the issue of human rights and the conflict in Kashmir on the political and diplomatic agendas through encouraging the debate within the journalistic and academic communities on both sides of the divide.

Through a variety of programmes it aims to educate politicians and the public of the history of the Kashmir dispute whilst simultaneously encouraging a peaceful resolution between all the relevant parties and most important of all, the Kashmiri people.

The Foundation believes that the people of Kashmir have an inalienable right to self-determination as guaranteed by the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Convention.  So we look to the wider international community to help facilitate the realisation of this right.

Conferences organised by The Justice Foundation
Kashmir Centre

The first international peace conference on Kashmir was held in October 2004 entitled ‘Stability, Peace and Security in South Asia’.  To commemorate this first conference, a book of the same title was published documenting the ideas and deliberations of the various speakers who attended.

The following year in November 2005 a conference was organised to highlight the tragic earthquake which had devastated Kashmir and parts of Pakistan and India the month before.  This conference title was ‘Kashmir after the earthquake – rebuilding together’ and the British Minister of State for International Development, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, was our keynote speaker.

The second international peace conference on Kashmir was held in March 2006 it’s title being ‘Peace in South Asia – prospects for the India and Pakistan Composite dialogue’.  It was from this conference that the concept of a Round Table Working Group on Kashmir transpired and which David Ervine MLA from Northern Ireland was elected to be its first Chairman.

This year in November 2007 our third international peace conference will take place under the title of ‘Sixty years of the Kashmir dispute – a way forward’ where we have invited all the various Kashmiri leaders to attend.

The Round Table Working Group on Kashmir

In early 2006 the idea of a Round Table Working Group on Kashmir came about as a way of providing a follow up to the ideas raised at the March 2006 international peace conference on Kashmir. 

The working group being composed initially of resource people, conflict resolution practitioners and people concerned in advancing peace in Kashmir, explored the idea of acting as:
 

1. A Peace Catalyst to raise ideas for promoting and advancing peace in the region.
2. A Peace Network which would provide access to both international and local actors to collaborate and provide synergy to their efforts, putting the primacy on local peace efforts and stakeholders.
3. A Peace Resource by convening resource people and exploring resources that may be required to build capacity and to address peace needs in Kashmir; drawing lessons from comparative experiences in other regions of conflict which respond to concrete questions raised by the peace process – both formal and informal in Kashmir to contribute to better peace practice.

Some of the possible projects which we are looking at are:

1. A Dialogue Project which is envisioned as an intra-Kashmiri dialogue within each of the divided territories and subsequently across the Line of Control conferring with previous work or discussions by other groups in this regard.
2. A Parliamentarian Project which would involve parliamentarians from the United Kingdom, Norway India and Pakistan to meet with political leaders and civil society leaders in Kashmir.
3. Improving the Human Rights situation by undertaking reconciliation efforts through meeting or working with the vulnerable victims such as the widows and orphans.

 The Round Table Working Group

The Working Group has met on several occasions to discuss how to go forward with some of the projects which were identified. Our first seminar was held in late August 2006 in the House of Commons. This meeting was entitled ‘Parliamentarians Discourse on Kashmir – Ascertaining the wishes of the people’.

The Group’s work and plans tragically had to be curtailed in January 2007 when it’s Chairman, David Ervine unexpectedly died from a heart attack. 

We were privileged to know David, a man of extraordinary leadership and vision having been involved in the Northern Ireland peace process.  

He brought with him invaluable insights to the Foundation by sharing those lessons learnt in the Irish quest for bringing peace to their divided island and through his vast and committed experience of advancing peace elsewhere in the world.

We are now indeed fortunate to have John Cushnahan at the helm who has had a brilliant career in European politics and was former Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament and their Chief Observer for the elections in Sri Lanke in the years 2000, 2001 and 2004 and in Pakistan in 2002.

It was John Cushnahan who led the ad hoc delegation of the European Parliament to Kashmir in 2003 – 2004 writing his discerning and definitive report on the visit, and who later described Kashmir as ‘the world’s most beautiful prison’.

With his knowledge and deep involvement in South Asia and his expertise in peace processes in that region, we look forward to his wisdom and guidance during his tenure.

The Advisory Council of the Justice Foundation
Kashmir Centre 2007

Officers

President                       Cllr Dr Zulfiqar Ali JP
Vice President              Cllr Qurban Hussain
Secretary General         Mr Naveed Manga Khan
Treasurer                       Mr Riaz Raza

Members

Professor Zafar Khan
Mr Raja Mohammed Ayub
Mr Ch Mohammed Khan
Mr Raja Mohammed Eshaq Khan
Mr Waheed Akbar
Mr Tahir Aziz

The Round Table Working Group on Kashmir

 John Cushnahan                     Chairman                                   Ireland                                          
Nazir A Shawl                        Executive Director JFKC         GB                  
Ed Garcia                               International Alert                     GB                                               
Andy Carl                               Conciliation Resources             GB                  

Harsh Mander                         Centre for Equity Studies          India
                  
Brian Cox                               International Centre for
                                                Religion and Diplomacy             USA               
Brendan McAllister               Mediation Northern Ireland      NI                    
Ian White                                Glencree                                      Ireland                                         
Michael Hammer                   One World Trust               GB
                            
Martin Salter MP                   Member of Parliament     GB                 
Mushahid Syed                      Pakistan Senate                            Pakistan                                      
Zulfiqar Ali                            Councillor and JP                       GB
                            
Zafar Khan                    Metropolitan University             GB
                  
Tahir Aziz                               Conciliation Resources              GB