Pakistan calls on united nations to protect right to self-determination from Gaza to Kashmir

Washington:(Web Desk): Pakistan has urged the United Nations to safeguard the right to self-determination for people from Gaza to Kashmir, highlighting that the populations of Jammu & Kashmir and Palestine continue to live under foreign occupation.

Addressing the Special Committee on Political and Decolonization Issues during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmed stated that the unfinished process of decolonization is a test of the conscience of the international community. He emphasized that the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Palestine remain trapped under foreign domination, which starkly contradicts the founding principles of the United Nations.

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar reaffirmed that the right to self-determination is a fundamental pillar of the UN Charter and must be guaranteed for all peoples still deprived of freedom.

Regarding Jammu & Kashmir, he stressed that the Kashmiri people have been denied their right to self-determination, marking it as one of the oldest unresolved conflicts on the UN agenda. He called for the final status of Jammu & Kashmir to be determined through a free, impartial referendum under UN supervision, reflecting the will of the Kashmiri people.

The Pakistani envoy criticized India for evading its responsibilities over the past seven decades through oppression, deceit, and the brutal use of force. He recalled that nearly 900,000 Indian troops deployed in occupied Jammu & Kashmir have turned the region into a massive military prison where extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, and collective punishments are rampant.

He condemned India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, aimed at forcibly annexing the disputed territory, violating UN Security Council resolutions.

The Pakistani permanent representative warned that India’s colonial strategy seeks to alter the demographic structure of the region, flagrantly breaching international law and the UN Charter, fueled by an extremist Hindutva ideology rooted in religious intolerance and exclusion.

Asim Iftikhar praised the resilience of the Kashmiri people, who continue their courageous struggle for freedom.

He emphasized that lasting peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without a just resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, underscoring that peace built on injustice and denial of rights is unsustainable.

On the situation in Gaza, he strongly condemned the ongoing humanitarian disaster where entire neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble, and women and children are being mercilessly killed.

He stated that these are deliberate crimes, flagrantly violating international humanitarian law, and asserted that occupation must end as it is the root cause of instability in the region.

The Pakistani envoy described the current situation as beyond words and welcomed recent consultations by US President Donald Trump with Arab and OIC leaders, expressing hope that these efforts will advance a credible political process towards establishing a Palestinian state and lasting peace in the region.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s long-standing position, he expressed support for an independent, sovereign, and contiguous Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He stressed that peace and occupation cannot coexist, just as justice and impunity cannot go hand in hand. Pakistan remains committed to promoting the fundamental purposes of the UN Charter and completing the unfinished decolonization process.

He concluded by stating that the struggles of Palestine and Kashmir are a living testament that as long as freedom is denied, human dignity remains violated, and the international community cannot allow colonial domination to continue in the 21st century under any circumstances.