Prime Minister Azad Kashmir (PM AJK), Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, reiterated that the United Nations must take responsibility for enforcing its resolutions on Kashmir, which guarantee the right to self-determination for the region’s people.
In his message on the occasion of Right to Self-Determination Day, observed annually by Kashmiris on January 5, the AJK premier expressed disappointment that the pledge to the people of Kashmir remains unfulfilled even after more than seventy years.
“The United Nations had guaranteed the right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and called for holding referendum in the region to allow the Kashmiri people to exercise their birth right and determine their political future through a free, fair and impartial plebiscite,” the PM said, adding that it was high time that the world body should discharge its legal and moral responsibility in this regard.
“Despite India’s relentless oppression, the people of Kashmir are sticking to their demand for the right to self-determination,” he said.
The PM pointed out that India’s inflexible approach and consistent refusal to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir pose a threat to peace and stability across South Asia.
Also See: Pakistan’s PM Urges Support for Kashmir’s Self-Determination
Speaking about the persistent violence and bloodshed in the region, the PM AJK called on the United Nations and international human rights organizations to investigate the ongoing human rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir and to hold India accountable for the war crimes committed by its forces.
Reiterating his government’s support for the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people, the PM declared that the sacrifices of Kashmiri martyrs would not be allowed to go in vain.
“The day is not far away when Kashmiris will achieve their goal of freedom,” the PM said, adding that nothing short of freedom can satisfy Kashmiris’ aspirations.
The PM lauded Pakistan’s consistent political, moral, and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri cause and said that Pakistan would never abandon its commitment to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that Kashmiris have rejected India’s 5th August 2019 decision that led to further disintegration of the state. “The people of Kashmir have also completely rejected the Indian Supreme Court verdict that put the stamp of approval to Modi government’s controversial decision to abrogate article 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution under which the Jammu Kashmir was guaranteed special status,” he added.
He urged the global community, especially the United Nations, to take serious notice of the Indian government’s actions and fulfill their responsibility to resolve this long-standing dispute in accordance with the universally accepted principle of self-determination.
