President Alvi reiterates support for Kashmiri struggle for self-determination

ISLAMABAD – President Dr. Arif Alvi on Tuesday restated the full support to the people of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir till the realisation of their right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

In a message on the occasion of Right to Self-determination of Kashmiri Day observed on January 5, Alvi said the right to self-determination is a vital component of human dignity. The negation of this right is the negation of human freedom, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and UN Human Rights Covenants.

President termed India as the biggest violator of basic human rights.

He stressed that the UN must honour its commitments and urged upon the global community not to shy away from its responsibility towards the oppressed people in Kashmir.

He mentioned the 5th January 1949 resolution, the UN Commission on India and Pakistan (UNCIP) adopted the pledge guaranteeing a free and fair plebiscite in the region to enable the people of Kashmir realise their right to self-determination.

The Indian government had created an environment of fear and chaos in the region since August 5, 2019, through continuous illegal and unilateral steps.

More than 500 days of the military siege, and draconian restrictions on fundamental freedoms and rights, including the right to life and health, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, had challenged the conscience of the international community and India’s credentials of being a respectable member of the comity of nations, he added.

Lambasting on the totalitarian behavior of the BJP-led government, he said Indian actions have been widely rejected by the international community, the United Nations, and international human rights organizations. The current situation in Kashmir is the worst in recent history where people have been deprived of all basic rights, including rights to freedom of expression and assembly, as well as self-determination.

The people of occupied Kashmir have been subjected to collective punishment by the Indian occupation forces, which had turned the territory into the largest militarised zone in the world and were seeking to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory in violation of international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention, President Alvi added.