Parliamentarians for National Self-determination: British Group’s Inaugural Conference Courts Controversy

On 11 May 2006 the British Houses of Parliament saw the inaugural conference of a new cross-party group, Parliamentarians for National Self-determination (PNSD), which is chaired by the first British Muslim to be appointed to the House of Lords. Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham, was born in Kashmir, grew up in the north of England and was appointed to the House of Lords as a Labour Peer in 1998.

Among PNSD’s self-stated aims is ‘to intervene on behalf of those peoples and individuals who are persecuted for advocating self-determination and defend their democratic rights, including that of free speech in pursuit of claims sanctioned by international law’. The inaugural conference was held in collaboration with the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO). The UNPO is based in The Hague and aims to provide a forum for those groups that lack representation at an international level and its General Secretary, Marino Busdachin, gave a keynote speech at the 11 May conference in London.

In addition to Lord Ahmed and the group’s administrative secretary, Ranjit Singh Srai of the British Sikh Federation, representations were also made on behalf of as many other national causes as could be fitted into the short three-hour timeframe. Speeches became impassioned with so many requests to speak that Lord Desai had to introduce a strict time limit to enable as many speakers as possible to be heard, albeit very briefly.

Among the delegates were representatives of groups such as Sikhs, Kosovans, Nagas, Manipuris, Tamils, Kashmiris, Kurds and Assamese. Support from national causes closer to home came from Welsh and Scottish Parliaments, a Conservative Member of the European Parliament and the Chairman of the Liberal Democrats who reminded the conference of the importance of supporting causes to the limits of peace, saying that the group should not personalise nor localise the cause as no one nation state should be seen as the villain.

Those present voted on a draft resolution circulated by the conference organisers. This 10-point document was not carried unanimously with two votes against it. Amongst other things it noted the right to self-determination as a fundamental human right, that allowing the exercise of this right be seen as a means of conflict resolution, and called for unconditional talks to resolve outstanding national disputes. More controversially it also noted its disappointment at the election of India to the recently created Human Rights Council of the United Nations and urged the blocking of India’s attempt to obtain a permanent seat on the Security Council. Stemming from this, some media sources have already claimed that PNSD exists solely for the purpose of targeting India, which has many unresolved separatist claims. It has also been argued that Lord Ahmed’s Pakistani antecedents call into question the group’s impartiality vis-à-vis India.

It would be a great shame were the organisation to lose credibility at this early stage. PNSD can effectively counter any suggestion that India has been singled out in this way by providing a platform for groups from all around the world. Its future strength will lie in highlighting the universality of human rights abuses and the common ground which exists between groups, however unique, seeking measures of self-determination in all parts of the world.

It is common for states to attempt to hide the conflicts raging within their borders from outside scrutiny on the grounds that to do otherwise would be bad for business. PNSD is working to convince such states that they have nothing to lose by acknowledging the claims of aspiring nations within their borders; claims with historical roots. Progress in the many outstanding national disputes will only be achieved if, like Santayana, we remember that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. A forthcoming conference, again in collaboration with UNPO, is planned to continue the process.