Message from Dr. Arif Alvi, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the occasion of Right to Self-Determination Day for
the Kashmiris – 5th January 2022
On 5 January 1949, United Nations Commission on India and Pakistan (UNCIP) adopted a resolution, guaranteeing a free and impartial plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. Today marks 73rd anniversary of the United Nations’ commitment that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute would be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices.
Kashmiris around the world are observing this Right to Self-Determination Day to make the international community realize that their promise to the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) remains unfulfilled. In these difficult seven decades, three generations of Kashmiris have suffered at the hands of Indian occupation forces, waiting for the actualization of UN’s promise to them.
Despite lapse of seven decades, Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains unresolved due to India’s obstinate refusal to honour its commitments and its disrespect for the fundamental human rights and international law. Since August 5,2019, through a number of illegal and unilateral steps, India has created an environment of fear and chaos in IIOJK. India has promulgated new domicile rules and introduced amendments in landownership laws to alter the demographic structure of the occupied territory in clear violation of the international law including the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the 4th Geneva Convention.
With the pandemic situation, the Kashmiris are faced with ‘double lockdown’ in IIOJK. The lockdown and the COVID-I9 pandemic are estimated to have cost around US$ 9.5 billion to the economy of the IIOJK.
Indian occupation forces have intensified repression of the Kashmiris through surge in extra-judicial killings, fake encounters, arbitrary detention of Kashmiri journalists and human rights defenders, communications blackouts, incarceration of Kashmiri political leaders, violent suppression of peaceful Kashmiri protests, use of pellet guns and demolition of entire neighborhoods and villages as collective punishment.
No amount of Indian attempts will succeed in misleading the international community and glossing over India’s state-terrorism being perpetrated with shameless impunity in IIOJK. Nor could use of brutal force ever succeed in breaking the will of the Kashmiri people in their just and legitimate struggle.
Pakistan calls upon the international community to hold India accountable for the egregious human rights violations in IIOJK and to play its role for peaceful and durable resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Pakistan, on its part, will continue to extend all possible support to the Kashmiri people until they realize their legitimate and inalienable right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
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Message from Imran Khan,
Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on
the occasion of Right to Self-Determination Day
(5th January 2022)
While observing 5th of January as Right to Self-Determination Day for the Kashmiris we reiterate our commitment to uphold the fundamental human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and pay homage to Kashmiris’ just struggle spanning more than seven decades. On this day in 1949, the United Nations Commission on India and Pakistan (UNCIP) adopted a resolution which guaranteed Kashmiri people their inherent right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.
We are commemorating this day to remind the world community that it cannot abandon its moral and legal responsibilities towards the Kashmiri people. The importance of the inalienable right to self-determination has been acknowledged in all important human rights covenants, decisions of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. The right to self-determination was granted to the Kashmiris by the United Nations and cannot be unilaterally denied by India.
Three generations of Kashmiris have waited for the world community and the United Nations to honor their solemn commitments made to Kashmiris. Indian atrocities in IIOJK continue unabated but the courage and spirit of Kashmiris remain strong.
With the presence of 900,000 troops, India has turned the occupied territory into the largest open-air prison and the most militarized zone in the world. The recent surge in oppression of the people of IIOJK through arbitrary detentions, coercion, harassment and humiliation, and extra-judicial killings in staged encounters and cordon-and-search-operations is a matter of grave concern for the international community.
India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August, 2019, and subsequent measures, particularly pertaining to domicile rules and land ownership laws, are aimed at changing the demographic structure of IIOJK and converting the Kashmiris into a minority in their own land. These Indian actions are blatant violation of the international law especially the UN Charter, UN Security Council Resolutions, and the 4th Geneva Convention. Kashmiris have been deprived of their rights to life, food, health, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and above all the right to self-determination.
Pakistan calls upon the international community to demand from India and immediate end to its state-terrorism against Kashmiris and allow access to international human rights and humanitarian organizations to the occupied territory.
Durable peace in South Asia is contingent upon peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with international legitimacy. Pakistan will continue to extent all possible support to the Kashmiris till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination and a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
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Message from Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Kashmiris’ Right to Self-determination Day – 5th January 2022
Today marks the completion of 73 years since the United Nations committed that the Jammu and Kashmir Dispute would be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite. Through its resolution of 05 January 1949, the United Nations Security Council affirmed its support to the realization of inalienable right to self-determination of Kashmiris.
Self-determination is one of the fundamental rights codified in all major human rights instruments as well as the United Nations Charter. The denial of this right and subjugation of Kashmiris in IIOJK is negation of human dignity.
Unfortunately, this right has not yet been realized for Kashmiris because of continuing oppression by India in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). In the last seven decades, three-generations of Kashmiris have rendered tremendous sacrifices for their just struggle, yet their human dignity is being violated on daily basis in IIOJK.
Since its illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, India has been relentlessly pursuing further consolidation of its illegal military occupation, including through land confiscation, influx of non-Kashmiris and creation of alien settlements in IIOJK in flagrant violation of international law especially the UN Charter, relevant UNSC resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The surge in fake encounters and so-called cordon-and-search-operations has resulted in the martyrdom of over 500 Kashmiris since 5thAugust 2019. This is abhorrent manifestation of the callous behavior and moral bankruptcy of BJP-RSS combine.
India must realize that the use of brutal force against the Kashmiri people, including extra-judicial killings, custodial torture, enforced disappearances, incarceration of Kashmiri leadership and youth, use of pellet guns, destruction of houses to inflict collective punishment on the Kashmiri communities, and other methods of subjugation have failed in the past and will not succeed in the future.
The indigenous resistance movement of the Kashmiris for their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, will only become stronger in the face of Indian state-terrorism.
Pakistan calls upon the international community, including the United Nations, human rights organizations and the global media, to take full cognizance of the aggravating situation in IIOJK and hold India accountable for egregious human rights violations and serious crimes against humanity in the occupied territory.
The international community must act in support of the fundamental freedoms and basic human rights of Kashmiris. The United Nations must live up to its promise of granting right to self-determination to Kashmiris. It must urge India to allow UN fact finding mission to IIOJK to investigate the reports of grave human rights violations there.
Pakistan remains fully supportive of and stands in solidarity with its Kashmiri brothers and sisters. We will continue to extend all possible support to the Kashmiris till the realization of their unalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the UNSC resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Islamabad
5 January 2022
