New York, At a significant gathering in New York to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day, speakers called upon the United Nations to exert pressure on India to allow the Kashmiri people to exercise their right to self-determination, a commitment made by the UN to facilitate peace in the region. The event, hosted by the Pakistan Consulate General, saw a strong turnout of opinion leaders, scholars, students, journalists, members of the Pakistani and Kashmiri Diaspora, and human rights advocates, all united in their critique of India’s policies in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

According to Kashmir Media Service, the assembly was a platform for denouncing the severe measures employed by Indian forces against the Kashmiri freedom struggle and called for an end to the ongoing violence. Consul General Aamer Ahmad Atozai emphasized the prolonged suffering of the Kashmiri people, highlighting the failure to implement United Nations Security Council resolutions that promised a plebiscite to ascertain the Kashmiri will.

Among the speakers were Carin Jodha Fischer, a German-American political activist; Dr. Sima Karetnaya, UN Global Peace Ambassador in the US; and several Kashmiri leaders and activists including Sardar Sawar Khan, Dr. Asif Rehman, Zameer Ahmad, Taj Khan, and Saghir Khan. They voiced concerns over India’s heavy-handed tactics in IIOJK and advocated for international efforts to halt the human rights abuses in the disputed territory.

The consensus at the event was clear: the path to enduring peace in South Asia lies in respecting the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, in line with UN Security Council resolutions. The speakers also urged the international community to recognize the deteriorating human rights situation in IIOJK and support the Kashmiris’ legitimate struggle for freedom from Indian domination.