On the fifth of February every year, the people of Pakistan come together to stand firmly in solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters. We renew our unwavering support for their legitimate struggle to achieve the right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest disputes in the world and has been on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council since 1948. The dispute remains unresolved due to India’s stubbornness to implement the United Nations Security Council resolutions and give the Kashmiri people their promised right to self determination.
Life in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) remains extremely difficult and the Kashmiri people have suffered immense hardships because of the draconian Indian regime. True representatives of the Kashmiri people remain behind bars and thousands of Kashmiri political activists are detained arbitrarily.
Freedom of expression also remain restricted as the local media has been forced to tow the official line. In particular, India attempted to consolidate its illegal occupation on 5 August 2019 through illegal and unilateral actions, which aimed to alter the region's demographic landscape and disempower the Kashmiri people.
Yet, no amount of repression by the Indian occupation forces has managed to break the Kashmiri people’s indomitable spirit or weaken their determination to achieve their right to self-determination. Pakistan honours their spirit and pays tribute to their countless sacrifices for the Kashmir cause.
On this day, we remind the international community, especially the United Nations that the people of Kashmir still await the free and impartial plebiscite that was promised to them under the United Nations Security Council resolutions. We also urge the international community to take decisive action in IIOJK to stop the human rights violations, force India to reverse its illegal actions and implement the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
To our Kashmiri brothers and sisters, Pakistan will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder by your side. Pakistan will continue to raise your voice on every platform, supporting you morally, politically, and diplomatically until justice is done and you achieve your promised right to self-determination.
(Embargoed till 05 February)
