Islamabad, The people of Jammu and Kashmir are calling for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute through a free and impartial plebiscite under United Nations supervision. This stance reflects their long-standing desire to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with international resolutions.

According to Kashmir Media Service, various civil society groups, political and legal experts from organizations like Academic Research on Kashmir, Institute of Kashmir Political Studies, and Research Institute of Kashmir Awareness, emphasized the UN’s acknowledgment of Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. This includes the significant resolution passed on January 5, 1949.

Despite enduring 76 years of Indian occupation and political injustice, the Kashmiri people remain committed to their demand for a UN-supervised plebiscite, a right even acknowledged by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. However, India’s actions on August 5, 2019, were viewed as an attempt to render these UN resolutions obsolete and manipulate the demographic composition and economic conditions in Kashmir to influence the outcome of any future plebiscite.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) spokesman in Srinagar highlighted the hardships faced by Kashmiris under Indian military occupation and the BJP regime. He urged the United Nations Secretary General to address the widespread killings, physical violence, illegal detentions, and deprivation of fundamental rights in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Various Hurriyat organizations, including the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League, and others, stated that the Kashmiris’ collective punishment for demanding a UN-mandated plebiscite was unjust. They affirmed their resolve to continue the struggle until the realization of the plebiscite under UN auspices and stressed that lasting peace in the region is contingent on resolving the Kashmir dispute in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.