PM Shehbaz reiterates call for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that in the interest of durable peace in South Asia, the international community should urge India to allow the Kashmiri people to freely determine their own future as a lasting peace could not be achieved by suppressing the genuine aspirations of the local people.

The recent developments in the Middle East amply showed that the long-standing disputes should not be allowed to fester, the prime minister said in a message on Kashmir Solidarity Day being observed on February 5.

He said the Government and people of Pakistan annually observed the ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day’ to renew their steadfast support to the Kashmiri people’s just and legitimate struggle for realization of their right to self-determination.

“The right to self-determination is a fundamental principle of international law. Every year, the UN General Assembly adopts a resolution that stresses the legal right of people to decide their own destiny,” PM Office Media Wing, in a press release, quoted the prime minister as saying.

Regrettably, the prime minister said, the Kashmiri people had not been able to exercise this inalienable right, notwithstanding the passage of last seventy-eight years.

He said, “Today, the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) remains one of the most-militarized zones in the world. Kashmiris are living in an environment of fear and intimidation.”

The prime minister said the political activists and human rights defenders faced prolonged detention and confiscation of properties, adding the political parties, representing the genuine aspirations of the Kashmiri people, had been banned. The intent of these oppressive measures was to crush dissent.

He further observed that India was also taking steps to consolidate its illegal occupation of the IIOJK.

“Following its illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, India’s efforts have been aimed at engineering demographic and political changes so that the Kashmiris transform into a disempowered community in their own land,” he added.

The prime minister reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute would remain a key pillar of their foreign policy.

“Pakistan will continue to offer its unwavering moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri people till the realization of their right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” he reiterated.

The prime minister also saluted the resolve and courage of the valiant Kashmiri people, who continued to render innumerable sacrifices in their struggle to achieve their fundamental rights and freedoms.