• AJK PM urges UN to help resolve Kashmir issue
• Zardari says denial of self-determination violates United Nations Charter
• Shehbaz links Kashmir settlement to peace in S. Asia
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Balochistan chief minister and the president and premier of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday renewed calls for the implementation of United Nations resolutions on the region, as the country observed Jan 5 as Right to Self-Determination Day.
In separate messages, they reiterated Pakistan’s moral, political and diplomatic support for Kashmiris, urged the international community to press India to reverse its Aug 5, 2019, actions and called for a UN-backed plebiscite to determine the region’s future.
In his message, President Zardari said Jan 5 was observed in solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir to mark the adoption of a 1949 United Nations resolution recognising the disputed status of the territory and affirming the Kashmiri people’s right to determine their future through a free and impartial plebiscite.
He noted that more than seven decades later, the commitment made by the United Nations remained unfulfilled, adding that the passage of time had neither weakened the validity of UN resolutions nor diminished the legitimacy of the Kashmiri people’s demand for self-determination. The continued denial of this right, he said, was in clear contradiction to the UN Charter and international law.
‘Durable peace in S. Asia’
In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said that the world must recognise that a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the only way to achieve durable peace in South Asia.
“We urge the international community to urgently call upon India to halt its widespread human rights violations in IIOJK (Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir), reverse its unilateral and illegal actions of Aug 5, 2019, repeal the draconian laws and give the right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council resolutions,” he said.
“Pakistan will continue to extend its unwavering moral, political, and diplomatic support to your cause, and will continue to serve as your voice at every available platform,” he said.
‘Not a political slogan’
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said that Right to Self-Determination Day serves as a reminder to the international community that the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination is not a political slogan but a legally recognised international commitment enshrined in United Nations Security Council resolutions, which remains unfulfilled to this day.
In his message, the chief minister recalled that on Jan 5, 1949, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan adopted a resolution granting the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to determine their future through a free, fair and impartial plebiscite.
He said India’s continued illegal occupation and intransigence have consistently violated this international pledge.
Meanwhile, Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry called upon the international community, particularly the United Nations, to play an effective role in resolving the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people and relevant UN resolutions.
In his special message on the occasion, President Chaudhry said that the Kashmiri people have rendered unprecedented sacrifices to achieve their right to self-determination, which was guaranteed to them by none other than the United Nations.
He said that the Kashmiri people firmly believe in the territorial integrity of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and regard it as an indivisible entity. He said that despite using all means of oppression, India has failed to dampen the Kashmiris’ passion and spirit for freedom.
Separately, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore urged the United Nations to discharge its legal and moral responsibilities to help resolve the long-standing Kashmir dispute in line with the Kashmiris’ wishes and aspirations.
In his special message, the prime minister expressed dismay over the UN’s lackadaisical approach towards the issue, saying it was unfortunate that the promise of the right to self-determination made by the UN to the Kashmiri people seven decades ago is yet to be fulfilled.
He said that holding a plebiscite in Kashmir, as per the UN-proposed roadmap, remains the primary responsibility of the international community.
Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026
Dawn – Homenone@none.com (APP)Read More
