ISLAMABAD: In a message on Right to Self-Determination Day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said it was time for the international community, including the United Nations, to live up to their promises.

Prime Minister also said it's time for meaningful measures which enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their inalienable rights. The fifth of January is commemorated each year as 'Right to Self-Determination Day' for the residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

PM Shehbaz, this date marks the adoption of a significant resolution by the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) in 1949, which ensures a free and fair plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, allowing the Kashmiri populace to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.

He also said that, the principle of self-determination is fundamental to the UN Charter and international law. Annually, the UN General Assembly passes a resolution affirming the legal right of peoples to determine their own futures, explicitly supporting the realization of this right for those living under foreign occupation, he added.

Unfortunately, the Kashmiri people have been unable to exercise this inherent right for more than seventy years. PM Shehbaz emphasized that the international community must urgently advocate for an end to human rights abuses, the release of political detainees, and the restoration of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people.

Since 5 August 2019, India has engaged in a series of unlawful and unilateral actions aimed at altering the demographic and political landscape of the disputed area, with the intention of transforming the majority Kashmiri population into a marginalized minority in their own homeland.

Furthermore, the Kashmiri people are facing extensive and systematic human rights violations, while their legitimate quest for self-determination and freedom is being suppressed, the prime minister noted.

He further reiterated Pakistan's unwavering commitment to provide comprehensive moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their rightful struggle for self-determination.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 06 2025

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