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Every year, on the 5th of January, we renew our support for
the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. On this day
in 1949, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP)
unanimously adopted a resolution affirming the right to self-determination of
the Kashmiri people through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices
of the United Nations.
The right to self-determination is a cardinal principle of
international law, upheld in numerous core United Nations Treaties, including
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. For decades, it has been
reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly in its annual resolution on
self-determination. However, the last 76 years of India’s occupation of Indian
Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) are a sad story of repression of
the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
India is trying to consolidate its occupation of IIOJK. The
Indian Supreme Court’s judgement of 11 December 2023 on the status of this
disputed territory is the latest step in this direction. India is trying to
subjugate the Kashmiris through such oppressive tactics further. It continues
to deny their inalienable right to self-determination and live with freedom and
dignity.
Today’s commemoration is aimed at reminding the
international community of its responsibility towards the oppressed Kashmiri
people. The United Nations must honour the commitments that it made 75 years
ago and support the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination.
Pakistan remains determined to play its role in supporting
the right to self-determination of Kashmiris through a free and impartial
plebiscite as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions. Our strong
and steadfast moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people
will continue till the realisation of this inalienable right.