MESSAGE FROM DR. ARIF ALVI, PRESIDENT OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN ON KASHMIR SOLIDARITY DAY (5TH FEBRUARY 2022)
Today, we pay tribute to the unparalleled commitment of the Kashmiris for the attainment of their legitimate right to self-determination. The entire Pakistani nation stands with Kashmiris. It is our firm belief that the Kashmiris will succeed in their valiant struggle to secure freedom from oppression and illegal occupation.
The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest items on the agenda of the UN Security Council. The dispute remains unresolved due to India’s obstinate refusal to honour its commitments and its disrespect for the fundamental human rights and international law.
For more than seven decades, it has been a battle of hope against overwhelming odds, of courage against fear, and of sacrifice against tyranny; but through all of it, the Kashmiri people have persisted and stood firm in the face of continuing Indian campaign of brutalization which has used every inhuman tactic and draconian laws to perpetuate the illegal occupation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India is using state-terrorism against the Kashmiris including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, fake encounters, staged cordon-and-search operations, custodial torture, enforced disappearances, incarceration of Kashmiri leadership, use of pellet guns, and destruction of houses. Over 900,000 Indian occupation forces have turned IIOJK into an open prison. Yet, the desperation of the RSS-BJP dispensation to control the indigenous Kashmiri movement has completely run aground.
India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 were in blatant violation of international law including UN Charter, 4th Geneva Convention, and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions which stipulate that the final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. India has embarked on the depopulation of Kashmiri Muslims by confiscating their land and bringing non Kashmiri to settle in IIOJK. These Indian actions have caused serious damage to peace efforts in an already volatile region. India’s refusal to grant right to self-determination has serious implications for South Asia and beyond.
Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community to take practical steps to hold India accountable for its gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK. A just and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with international legitimacy is the only way to ensure durable peace and development in the region.
We reassure our Kashmiri brothers and sisters that we remain resolute in our principled position on Jammu and Kashmir and will continue to stand with them in their just struggle for self-determination. Pakistan’s ultimate objective is a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per relevant UNSC resolutions in accordance with wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Islamabad, 5 February, 2022
