Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control, as well as across the globe, are observing the Right to Self-Determination Day today, reaffirming their commitment to the struggle for their internationally recognised inalienable rights.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference gave the call to observe the day being marked by various activities, including rallies, seminars, and conferences around the world, to remind the UN of its obligation to implement its relevant resolutions to resolve the Kashmir dispute and end the suffering of Kashmiris under Indian brutalities.
On this day in 1949, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) adopted the historic resolution that guarantees a free and fair plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir to enable the Kashmiri people to realise their inalienable right to self-determination.
Meanwhile, in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, posters have appeared in Srinagar and other areas of the held territory urging the United Nations to resolve the Kashmir dispute in harmony with its resolution passed on January 5, 1949.
They underscore that the day serves as a reminder to the global community of their responsibility towards the Kashmiri people.
Some posters feature Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, and express Kashmiris’ trust in the statement on Kashmir by DG ISPR.
The posters also highlight the importance of self-determination as a vital component of human dignity and freedom, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Human Rights covenants.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a special session of the AJK Legislative Assembly will be held today.
The members of the legislature will draw the attention of the international community towards its obligations on Kashmir and gross human rights violations by Indian troops in Indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
In Muzaffarabad, Pasban-e-Hurriyat and other Hurriyat organisations have arranged rallies at Shaheed Burhan Muzaffar Wani Chowk.
The participants of the rallies will also march towards the UN Observer Mission Office in Muzaffarabad.
PM reaffirms diplomatic support for Kashmiri people
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed his government’s strong resolve to continue extending full moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for the realisation of the right to self-determination as enshrined in the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations (UN) and international law.
In his message on the eve of ”Right to Self-Determination Day” on Saturday, he urged the international community and the UN to live up to their promises and take meaningful measures enabling the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.
The prime minister said: “The right to self-determination is a core principle of the UN Charter, as well as of international law. Every year, the UN General Assembly adopts a resolution that advocates the legal right of people to decide their own destiny. It expresses unequivocal support for the realisation of the right to self-determination for peoples under foreign occupation.”
“Regrettably, the Kashmiri people have not been able to exercise this inalienable right for over seven decades,” PM Shehbaz added.
The premier said the international community must call for an immediate cessation of human rights violations, the release of political prisoners, and the restoration of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people.
The prime minister said that India continues to take multiple steps to consolidate its occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), undermining the internationally recognised disputed nature of this territory.
Through a series of illegal and unilateral actions taken since August 5, 2019, India is trying to alter the demographic and political structure of the disputed territory, aimed at transforming the majority Kashmiri people into a minority community, in their own homeland.
Further drawing world attention to the Indian government’s high-handedness, PM Shehbaz said India is subjecting the Kashmiri people to wide-ranging gross, systematic human rights violations, while crushing the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for self-determination and freedom.
Pakistan to continue political support to Kashmiris: President
President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan would 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.
In a message on the Occasion of Right to Self-Determination Day on 5th January 2025, he said, “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.
“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,” he said.
Regrettably, the President said, India has been denying this right to the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for over seven decades and subjecting them to oppression, violence, and systemic brutalities.
“Since August 5, 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, the spirit of the Kashmiri people remains unbroken and their struggle for freedom cannot be suppressed.
“He said the UN General Assembly annually adopts a resolution on “Universal Realisation 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.
The international community, especially the United Nations, is responsible for fulfilling this promise and supporting the people of IIOJK in exercising their inalienable right to self-determination, he said adding, “On this occasion, I call upon the international community to stop India from committing brutalities and human rights violations in IIOJK.”
