Prime Minister reaffirms moral, political, diplomatic support to Kashmiri people

LAHORE, Jan 04 (APP):Prime Minister Muhammad 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 realization 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’ here 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 fifth January is annually observed as the ‘Right to Self-Determination Day’ for the people of Jammu and Kashmir across the globe. 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 Kashmiri people to realize their inalienable right to self-determination.

The prime minister, in his message, further 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 realization of the right to self-determination for peoples under foreign

occupation.”

“Regrettably, 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 immediate cessation of human rights violations, release of political prisoners, and restoration of fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people.

The prime minister said that India, today, continues to take multiple steps to consolidate its occupation of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), undermining the internationally recognized disputed

nature of this territory. Through a series of illegal and unilateral actions taken since 5 August 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, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said India is also 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.