Right to Self-Determination Day today

President, PM renew support for Kashmiris

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ISLAMABAD:

Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and the world over will observe the Right to Self-Determination Day on Sunday (today), renewing their pledge to continue their struggle for freedom through the plebiscite, as acknowledged by the United Nations.

It was on January 5, 1949, when the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution supporting the Kashmiris' right to decide their future through the UN-sponsored plebiscite.

The day will be 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.

In his message, President Asif Ali Zardari said 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. "

"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.

"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 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.

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."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said it was time for the international community, including the United Nations, 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.

In a message on Right to Self-Determination Day for the People of Jammu & Kashmir observed on 5 January 2025, he said the fifth of January is annually observed as the 'Right to Self-Determination Day' for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

On this day in 1949, he said 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 realize their inalienable right to self-determination.

"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, the Kashmiri people have not been able to exercise this inalienable right for over seven decades," he explained.

He said the international community must also call for immediate cessation of human rights violations, release of political prisoners, and restoration of fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people.

"Today, India 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 disempowered minority community, in their own homeland."