No amount of rhetoric can alter internationally recognized disputed status of IIOJK: PM Shehbaz

Islamabad (Web Desk): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that statements and political narratives cannot change the internationally acknowledged disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir or undermine the rights of its people guaranteed under international law and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

In a post shared on his X account, the Prime Minister stated that the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continues to be marked by a large-scale military presence and strict laws, which he alleged are being used by India to carry out demographic changes aimed at altering the region’s Muslim-majority character.

As India’s unilateral and illegal actions of 5 August 2019 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) complete seven years, no amount of rhetoric can alter the internationally recognized disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir or deny the rights of its people enshrined…

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 5, 2026

He further claimed that systematic measures are being taken to suppress the voices of Kashmiris and erase their cultural and political identity.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said that claims of development, which he described as baseless, cannot replace the fundamental right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to decide their future through a free and impartial plebiscite, as provided for by the United Nations.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s continued support for the Kashmiri people, the Prime Minister urged India to withdraw what he termed illegal actions, stop human rights violations, and take steps to create an environment for a peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions, and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.