Srinagar, Leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir have called on the United Nations to honor its commitments regarding the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Their demand aligns with the anniversary of the significant UN resolution passed on January 5, 1949, which recognized the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the APHC leaders, including Syed Bashir Andrabi, Khawaja Firdous, and Junaid-ud-Salam, released a joint statement in Srinagar. They reminded the international community of the resolution passed by the United Nations Commission for Pakistan and India (UNCIP), which promised the Kashmiri people the right to determine their future. The leaders emphasized that the Kashmiris have made unparalleled sacrifices in pursuit of this right and remain committed to their struggle for self-determination.
Advocate Divendar Singh Behel, another APHC leader, expressed in a statement issued in Jammu that India has consistently denied the right to self-determination to the people of occupied Kashmir for over seven decades. He highlighted the responsibility of the international community, particularly the UN, to ensure that the Kashmiri people can exercise this right. Behel also acknowledged Pakistan’s steadfast support for the Kashmiri cause.
Noor Muhammad Fayaz, an APHC leader currently detained, sent a message from jail stating that the Kashmir dispute remains unresolved due to India’s intransigence. He advocated for a plebiscite under UN resolutions as the best solution to the dispute and called on the international community to hold India accountable for not fulfilling its international obligations regarding Kashmir.
APHC leader Abdul Samad Inqilabi, in his statement in Srinagar, condemned India’s victimization of the Kashmiri people for demanding their internationally recognized right to self-determination. He asserted that the Kashmiris would continue their struggle until granted this right.
The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League and Tehreek-e-Shabab-ul-Muslimeen, in their statements in Srinagar, argued that India’s denial of the right to self-determination has led to ongoing suffering for the Kashmiris. They urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to address the worsening situation in Jammu and Kashmir and to enforce the resolutions of August 13, 1948, and January 5, 1949, for a plebiscite.
In Islamabad, APHC-AJK Convener Mehmood Ahmed Saghar and other leaders including Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Imtiaz Wani, Muhammad Sultan Butt, and Abdul Majeed Mir issued statements emphasizing the UN’s role in resolving the Kashmir dispute. They criticized the UN’s failure to implement its resolution and highlighted the impact of this inaction on the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle. They reiterated the strong bond between Kashmiris and Pakistanis and Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kashmir cause.