By Adnan Hameed
TWA
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Kashmiris around the world are observing the 75th anniversary of the Resolution adopted by the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), providing that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute will be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices. In essence, it was a reaffirmation of the inalienable right of Kashmiris to self-determination, which is enshrined in international law and upheld by international human rights instruments.
Regrettably, despite more than seven and a half decades, the oppressed people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have not been able to exercise this fundamental right. India continues to oppress the people of Jammu and Kashmir to break their will. Since 5 August 2019, India is engaged in a vicious exercise, aimed at altering the demographic structure and political landscape of IIOJK, with a view to turning Kashmiris into a disempowered community in their own land.
The Indian Supreme Court’s recent verdict on the status of IIOJK is yet another step towards the denial of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. The genuine aspirations of the Kashmiris cannot be wished away through domestic legislation and engineered judicial verdicts.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) annually adopts a resolution on “Universal Realization of the Right of the People to Self-Determination” that draws international attention towards the plight and rights of people living under situations of forced occupation. The international community, especially the United Nations, bears the responsibility to ensure that the people of IIOJK exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.
For its part, Pakistan will continue to extend its full political, diplomatic and moral support to the valiant Kashmiri people in their just struggle for their rights including the inalienable right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
