Message from H.E. Dr Arif Alvi President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the Occasion of Right to Self-Determination Day (5th January 2023)

Today, Kashmiris around the world are observing the 74th anniversary of the Resolution adopted by the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), providing that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute would 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, the oppressed people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have not been able to exercise this right. India continues to oppress the Kashmiris to break their will with massive human rights abuses. Since 5 August 2019, it is engaged in a vicious exercise of altering the demographic structure of IIOJK to turn Kashmiris into a minority in their own land.

The UN General Assembly 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 the fulfillment of this promise and support the people of IIOJK in exercising 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 dignity and rights including their inalienable right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

05 January 2023