Message from Asif Ali Zardari President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the Occasion of Right to Self-Determination Day, 5th January 2025

Today, Kashmiris around the world are observing the 76th 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, India has been denying this right to the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for over seven decades and subjecting them to oppression, violence, and systemic brutalities. Since 5 August 2019, it has been taking steps, aimed at altering the demographic and political fabric of IIOJK, to turn Kashmiris into a disempowered community in their homeland. Despite this, the spirit of the Kashmiri people remains unbroken and their struggle for freedom cannot be suppressed.

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, is responsible for fulfilling this promise and supporting the people of IIOJK in exercising their inalienable right to self-determination. On this occasion, I call upon the international community to stop India from committing brutalities and human rights violations in IIOJK.

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 rights, including their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.