Right to self-determination day: Pakistan to continue full political, diplomatic, moral support to valiant Kashmiris

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said that Pakistan will continue to extend its full political, diplomatic and moral support to the valiant Kashmiri people in their just struggle for rights, including their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

“Today, Kashmiris around the world are observing the 76th anniversary of the Resolution adopted by the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), providing that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices,” he said on the occasion of Right to Self-Determination Day, which will be observed today (Sunday, January 5).

According to announcement of Media wing of President Secretariat, President Zardari said in essence, it was a reaffirmation of the inalienable right of Kashmiris to self-determination, which is enshrined in international law and upheld by international human rights instruments.

Regrettably, the president said India has been denying this right to the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for over seven decades and subjecting them to oppression, violence, and systemic brutalities.

President Zardari said since 5th August, 2019, it has been taking steps, aimed at altering the demographic and political fabric of IIOJK, to turn Kashmiris into a disempowered community in their homeland. Despite this, he said the spirit of the Kashmiri people remains unbroken and their struggle for freedom cannot be suppressed.

The president said the UN General Assembly annually adopts a resolution on “Universal Realization of the Right of the People to Self-Determination” that draws international attention towards the plight and rights of people living under situations of forced occupation.

President Zardari said the international community, especially the United Nations (UN), is responsible for fulfilling this promise and supporting the people of IIOJK in exercising their inalienable right to self-determination.

“On this occasion, I call upon the international community to stop India from committing brutalities and human rights violations in IIOJK,” he said.