Bilawal asks UN chief to address alarming situation in IIOJK

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto has called upon the UN Security Council to take immediate cognisance of the ongoing illegal and unilateral actions by India to change the demographic composition of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In a letter to the president of the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Bilawal drew their attention to the alarming situation in IIOJK.

The FM regretted in his letter India’s continued denial of the right of self-determination to the people of IIOJK. He recalled that the unilateral measures undertaken by India since 5 August 2019 in IIOJK, including the ongoing systematic efforts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory, were in blatant violation of international law, including the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

He underscored that the Indian government was making expeditious moves to register as many as 2.5 million new voters in IIOJK before the upcoming local elections in the region, to meddle with and further alter the demographic make-up of the occupied territory.

The foreign minister reiterated that the only legal basis for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the implementation of the relevant Security Council Resolutions stipulating final disposition of the state through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations.

He called on them to prevail upon India to let the people of IIOJK determine their own future.

The FM also urged the UNSC  and UN chief to make concerted efforts to promote a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.