CM PUNJAB MARYAM NAWAZ SHARIF REITERATES SUPPORT FOR KASHMIRIS’ RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION

LAHORE, Jan 5: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled stance on the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the United Nations resolution of January 5, 1949 guarantees a free and impartial plebiscite in the disputed territory.

In a special message, the chief minister said the right to self-determination was a fundamental component of human dignity. She added that deviation from the UN resolution amounted to a denial of human freedom, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights treaties.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif said the people of Kashmir had been waiting for the fulfilment of the promised right to self-determination for the past 77 years. She expressed concern over what she described as India’s attempts to alter the demographic structure of occupied Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to undermine the Kashmiri identity.

The chief minister said India had turned occupied Jammu and Kashmir into one of the most heavily militarised regions in the world, adding that no barrier could suppress the desire for freedom.

She maintained that freedom was the legitimate right of the Kashmiri people and expressed confidence that their struggle would ultimately bear fruit.