Washington, D.C: Sardar Zarif Khan, Advisor to the President of Azad Kashmir was kind enough to arrange a get together with a young and energetic Kashmiri scholar and author, Saud Sultan, son of the prominent Kashmiri leader, Barrister Sultan Mehmood, the President of Azad Kashmir. Saud Sultan has written an excellent book, “Jammu and Kashmir; The Forgotten Narrative, From Distorted origins to Denied Freedom.” Saud is the graduate of University of Cambridge where his focus was on the issue of Kashmir. He was visiting us from New York where he is staying with a leading Kashmiri leader, Sardar Sawar Khan who was the Advisor to Saud’s father when he was the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir. Sardar Sajid Sawar, son of Sardar Sawar Khan accompanied Saud to Washington. D.C. 

Earlier Saud was speaking at the Embassy of Pakistan during the commemoration of October 27 as the Day of Occupation. Saud engaged with our group of six, sharing insights into the research he had undertaken. He emphasized that he sought to challenge the Indian narrative by relying primarily on Indian sources, deliberately minimizing the use of Pakistani sources, even though they are equally credible and authentic. Saud Sultan added that he did not want to provoke but to correct; not to romanticize but to remember. He emphasized that this was an attempt to reclaim our narrative – Kashmiri narrative. 

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Chairman, World Forum for Peace & Justice, who was one of the group of six said that he found out that the book has already been introduced at several capitols of the world, including Brussels, London, Islamabad, and Muzaffarabad, with the latest launch held right here in Washington, D.C. It was a pleasure, Dr. Fai added to spend quality time with the author, engaging in a lively discussion about his research methods and the ideas that shaped his work. What stood out most was Saud’s clear commitment to contributing to the intellectual discourse on Kashmir and his deep passion for finding a just and lasting solution to the issue. 

Sardar Zarif Khan, the host commented that book is based on extensive documentation, in-depth research, and numerous interviews. Most histories of Kashmir have been written by Pakistani, Indian, or Western scholars, with the Kashmiri voice largely missing. The author seeks to reclaim the narrative — presenting it from a Kashmiri perspective — as he himself is a son of the soil. 

Sardar Shoaib Irshad, General Secretary, Kashmir American Welfare Association (KAWZ)  said that through meticulous research, Saud examines the dominant Indian narrative and counters it by facts and figures. One of the book’s significant contributions is its detailed analysis of the events of September–October 1947, addressing the long-debated question: who started the war — India or Pakistan? His thorough investigation leads him to conclude that it was India, not Pakistan, that initiated the conflict. 

It was undoubtedly a memorable gathering where we spent more than two hours together. Tahseen Hussain, local businessman also joined us there. We all wished Saud great success in his intellectual pursuits on Kashmir. 

( Dr. Fai is also the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: WhatsApp: 1-202-607-6435  or. gnfai2003@yahoo.com, www.kashmirwreness.org