YFK-International Kashmir Lobby Group (Youth Forum for Kashmir) (full name) is a non-governmental organization working on strategies for peaceful conflict resolution and protection of human rights in the disputed region of Jammu & Kashmir (Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered Kashmir). Headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan, YFK is a registered NGO run by rotating teams of specialists in human rights, diplomacy, and international law, drawn from university scholars and students, journalists, members of the academia, young political activists, and human rights defenders from mainly Pakistan and AJK (Azad Kashmir). This includes young Kashmiris from refugee families that sought exile in Pakistan after escaping violence in Kashmir post-1989. The organization advocates for the right to self-determination for Kashmiris through a plebiscite to decide whether Kashmir joins India or Pakistan, as provisioned under United Nations Security Council Resolution 47. The group apparently scaled back its operations since 2022 due to a fall in donations from inside Pakistan and the Kashmiri diaspora internationally, as Pakistan's economic crunch impacted the work of civil society organizations. Also, the political turmoil in Pakistan in 2022-2023 eclipsed all other issues.

History

YFK (abbreviated) was founded[1][2] in 2013 by Muhammed Mian Soomro, a Pakistani politician who served as a banker, and a former Senate chairman. He currently serves as the Federal Minister for Privatization. The idea stemmed from generational shifts in the conflict[3] in India, Pakistan, and Kashmir that required a new approach to conflict-resolution without compromising principles. It is one of many Kashmir-related organizations created in Pakistan, a country that is home to the second largest Kashmiri population[4][5] outside the historic State of Jammu & Kashmir. Pakistan is also home to Kashmiri refugees from various India-Pakistan wars over the territory. YFK receives donations from Pakistani and Kashmiri businessmen to fund[6] its operations. The organization is audited by private accountants and it is accountable, as an NGO, to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

Conflict and human rights

The organization refers to itself as ‘YFK-International Kashmir Lobby Group’ in the long form or simply YFK.[7] It liaises with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, the Government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, United Nations mechanisms, and likeminded INGOs to build momentum for the peaceful end to the conflict in Kashmir, and to promote the civil and political rights of Kashmiris. To achieve these objectives, YFK works with media organizations;[8] publishes policy briefs and conducts seminars and workshops.[9][10][11]

The organization has listed Kashmiri identity and culture as key concerns, and fears fatigue, time, and other international developments could further diminish[12] the already limited global interest in this conflict. To generate and circulate knowledge on Kashmir in this long, drawn-out conflict, YFK conducts training sessions to prepare speakers[13][14] conversant in various aspects of the conflict (political, legal, women, children, human rights, diplomacy) to engage a global audience.

Notable staff

YFK is a relatively young organization (established in 2013). Some of the notable persons associated with it, currently and in the past, are:

  • Muhammad Mian Soomro, founding patron-in-chief
  • Sardar Asadullah Khan,[15] a politician from AJK
  • Altaf Hussain Wani,[16] a teacher and academic from Indian-administered Kashmir, board member, YFK; Chairman, Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR)
  • Qaswar Saeed Mirza,[17] former senior communications official, Presidency of Pakistan (deceased)
  • Nawabzada Riaz Hussain Qureshi,[18] agriculturalist, and politician (deceased)
  • Ahmed Quraishi,[19] Pakistani journalist, and former executive director at YFK
  • Sardarzada Umair Hasni,[20] advisor to Chief Minister of Balochistan
  • Shaista Safi,[21][22] rights activist, and daughter of Kashmiri politician Ghulam Mohammad Safi[23]
  • Maria Iqbal Tarana,[24] Pakistani woman rights activist and politician from AJK
  • Maria Atiq,[25] Pakistani diplomat, interned with YFK during university before joining the foreign service
  • Ghulam Shabbir,[26][27] Pakistani media producer and digital media advocacy activist
  • Zaman Bajwa[28][29] journalist; recipient of an award by the government of Azerbaijan

Publications

Producing books and papers on Kashmir is a stated YFK objective,[30] mainly due to a general scarcity of books on Kashmir in Pakistan, India, and internationally. India's Hindustan Times notes that, "Unlike Palestine and Northern Ireland, not much has been written about Kashmir."[31][32] YFK representatives have complained at various speaking engagements that the organization's library of books and publications contains few quality works on Kashmir produced in Pakistan.[33]

Titles of some recent YFK publications:

Criticism

Critics (mostly on social media) have criticized YFK-International Kashmir Lobby Group for not more robustly criticizing Government of Pakistan policies on Kashmir. Ideological Kashmiri activists that promote Kashmir independence from both India and Pakistan view YFK as a status quo organization. YFK has also been dubbed a pro-Pakistan lobby group. Variations of these criticisms have been received by YFK accounts on Twitter in the 2014–2020 period.[34]

In their various speaking engagements, YFK lobbyists have defended themselves by citing their varied work, writings, and activism where they criticized Pakistani officials, and where they did not align with official Pakistani positions on contacts with India, insisting on maintaining close contacts with members of Indian civil society when Pakistan and India downgraded their diplomatic relations; also welcoming former President Trump’s statements on Kashmir[35][36] despite the cool reception[37] from the Pakistani government and political parties, and taking the lead in showing empathy for the citizens of India during the 2021 COVID surge and oxygen shortage.

Some YFK members publicly criticized Pakistan government's diplomatic focus on Gaza-Israel conflict in May 2021, and compared it to what they said was tepid Pakistani diplomacy on Kashmir.

Generally, YFK positions on Kashmir policies of India and Pakistan strike a balance between criticism and lobbying.

Achievements

Between 2013 and 2021, YFK played a role in mobilising Pakistan's media and public opinion on Kashmir, contributing to a noticeable gradual return of interest in Kashmir-related developments to the limelight in Pakistani politics. In the process, several YFK members became authorities on the subject for Pakistani media and Pakistan-based international media.

On 4 February 2021, a senior YFK official announced that "India is not an enemy for Pakistan and Kashmiris." The conciliatory statement was important because it was made at the Presidency of Pakistan in Islamabad in front of a select audience that included the President of Pakistan, the Foreign Minister, and the National Security Advisor. The event was broadcast on state-run television.[38][39]

In 2014, YFK introduced the term ‘Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of Pakistani independence.’ The term, first used in a YFK press statement on Pakistan Resolution Day in March 2014,[40] captured the imagination of Pakistani media and political elite and was tweeted by the spokesman of Pakistan Armed Forces on 3 June 2015,[41] and borrowed later by former Chief of Army Staff Gen. Raheel Sharif in a speech he made on the same day.[42]

On 10 March 2018, a short film produced by YFK on the life of prominent Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir was screened at a side event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.[43]

References

  1. ↑ Website, YFK.org.pk (2013). "Launch of first Kashmir lobby group". YFK. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  2. ↑ News Agency, INP (31 August 2013). "YFK Launching: No Compromise on Self-Determination". Pakistan Observer. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  3. ↑ Website, RefWorld (15 April 2016). "New Generation of Militants Emerging in Kashmir". United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  4. ↑ Carey, Keith (2019). "Kashmiri (Muslim traditions) in Pakistan". Joshua Project. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  5. ↑ Direct, Science (July 2008). "Genetic analysis of Kashmiri Muslim population living in Pakistan". Legal Medicine. 10 (4): 216–219. doi:10.1016/j.legalmed.2007.12.005. PMID 18328763. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  6. ↑ Website, YFK (2014). "Who Funds YFK?". Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  7. ↑ Expanded online survey conducted for the term 'YFK Kashmir' on Microsoft Bing and Google Search on 24 & 23 June 2021. [Results are not shared here due to Wikipedia search result link rules].
  8. ↑ Saqib, Mehreen (30 July 2020). "YFK brings Journalists together to discuss lockdown restrictions". Baaghi TV. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Website, YFK (26 February 2015). "YFK-EU Discuss Kashmir". YFK. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Australian politician gets briefing on Kashmir issue". Pakistan Today. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. ↑ New desk, YFK (6 December 2018). "UN and Government officials join Pakistani activists in marking Volunteer Day". YFK. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. ↑ News Desk (April 2020). "Kashmiri and international journalists discuss reporting under lockdown restrictions". YFK Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  13. ↑ News Desk (22 April 2019). "Developing Effective Leadership Skills". YFK Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  14. ↑ News Desk (31 October 2020). "Be A Successful Lobbyist In Career & Life". Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  15. ↑ New Agency, INP (31 August 2013). ""Sardar AsadUllah Khan, a Pakistani Kashmiri"". Pakistan Observer. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  16. ↑ Institute, KIIR (2019). "Chairman-Altaf Hussain Wani". KIIR. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  17. ↑ Trunkwalas, WorldGroup (2015). "QASWAR SAEED MIRZA, M.A LLB AND FORMER DIRECTOR GENERAL PUBLIC RELATION , PRESIDENCY OF PAKISTAN". World Group. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  18. ↑ Mirza, Muhammad Omar (5 January 2020). "Nawabzada Riaz Hussain Qureshi, son of Governor Punjab Nawabzada SAdiq Hussain Qureshi". Geni.com. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  19. ↑ Zaafir, Muhammad Saleh (7 May 2018). "Peace seminar: India protects its soldiers". The News International. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  20. ↑ Department, Science and Information Technology (4 May 2020). "Sardarzada Mir Umair Jan Muhammad Hasni". Government of Balochistan. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  21. ↑ Official website, YFK (2018). "YFK lobbyist Shaista Safi". YFK. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  22. ↑ news ahency, KMS (12 March 2020). "Shaista Safi warns UN HRC of genocide of Kashmiris". Pakistan Observer newspaper. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  23. ↑ Jammu Kashmir, Tehreek-e-Hurriyet (2019). "Ghulam Muhammad Safi-Profile". THJK. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  24. ↑ Official website, PAGE (2021). "Maria Iqbal Taran-Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education". PAGE. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  25. ↑ Official website, MOFA (2021). "Deputy Director at the Counter Terrorism Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  26. ↑ Zaafir, Muhammad Saleh (13 July 2020). "YFK remembers sacrifices of Kashmiris on Martyrs Day". The News International. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  27. ↑ Admin, YFK (2014). "Our Team page". YFK Official Website. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  28. ↑ Qehremanlari, Veten (12 June 2021). "Pakistanda Milli Qurtuluş Günü qeyd olunub". vetenqehremanlari.az. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  29. ↑ International, The News (6 December 2017). "YFK presents Kashmir issue in a global conference". The News International. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  30. ↑ Khurshid, Tooba (30 May 2016). "Book Launch for "Secrets of the Kashmir Valley". Executive director YFK participated". ISSI website. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  31. ↑ Mir, Hilal (26 May 2016). "The Kashmir reading list: 11 books to understand the conflict". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  32. ↑ HUSSAIN, IMTIYAZ (18 September 2019). "8 Books to Help You Understand the Kashmir Conflict: Nonfiction and novels that illuminate the dispute over the region". Electric Literature. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  33. ↑ Zaafir, Muhammad Saleh (2016–2021). "Various interviews, reports, and newspaper statements by YFK officials and activists". The News International. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  34. ↑ A general non-academic survey of comments and replies on various YFK social media pages and accounts, conducted between 27 February 2021, to 25 May 2021, covering the 2014–2020 period.
  35. ↑ Saeed, Saim (5 August 2019). "Trump stumbles into Kashmir showdown". Politico EU edition. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  36. ↑ Ratcliffe, Rebecca (23 July 2019). "Fury in India over Donald Trump's Kashmir claims". Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  37. ↑ "Trump's formula on Kashmir unacceptable: Punjab governor". Daily Times newspaper. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  38. ↑ Official website, YFK (4 February 2021). "Statement by AHMED QURAISHI | Executive Director, YFK-International Kashmir Lobby Group". YFK. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  39. ↑ Web administrator, ISSI (4 February 2021). "PRESS RELEASE – "Pakistan Stands with Kashmiris"". ISSI. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  40. ↑ Official website, YFK (23 March 2014). "The Unfinished Agenda of Pakistan's Independence". YFK. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  41. ↑ Media Office, ISPR (3 June 2015). "Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations". ISPR. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  42. ↑ Website, Zee News (3 June 2015). "Kashmir is 'unfinished agenda of partition': Pak Army Chief Raheel Sharif". Zee News. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  43. ↑ New desk, YFK (10 March 2018). "Kashmir Delegation Screens A Short Film At UN Paying Tribute To Asma Jahangir". YFK. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
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