Islamabad, 13 Oct 2023: Pakistan has vocalized significant concerns over the persistent issues in Palestine and Kashmir, highlighting oppressive conditions and alleged humanitarian crises in both regions. In a session of the UN General Assembly’s sixth committee meeting, Rabia Ijaz, Second Secretary at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN, depicted a deeply troubling humanitarian scenario in Gaza and emphasized ongoing conflicts and claimed human rights violations in Kashmir. These positions were outlined in a press release provided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB).
During the session, Ijaz expressed profound apprehensions regarding what was described as a deteriorating humanitarian condition in Gaza, attributed to indiscriminate aerial bombardment and an alleged blockade of essential resources by Israeli Occupation forces, actions she characterized as amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Ijaz conveyed that the continued cycle of aggression and violence in the region serves as a stark reminder of over seven decades of what Pakistan perceives as illegal Israeli occupation and disregard for international law and UNSC resolutions. She emphasized the imperative for the international community to collaboratively pursue a just, comprehensive, and enduring two-state solution, adhering to pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine.
Addressing the situation in Kashmir, Ijaz asserted that the region is internationally recognized as disputed territory, refuting claims of it being an integral part of India or a subject of India’s domestic matters. Emphasizing UN Security Council resolutions, which mandate a United Nations supervised plebiscite to determine Kashmir’s final disposition, Ijaz underscored that India has previously accepted this decree and is thereby obligated to adhere to it in congruence with Article 25 of the UN Charter. Moreover, she alleged that India, deploying an occupation army of 900,000 troops, is suppressing the Kashmiri pursuit for self-determination and cited claims of over a hundred thousand Kashmiris having been killed since 1989, alongside a systematic settler-colonial project, and a continuum of atrocities.
It is pertinent to note that both issues of Palestine and Kashmir are entwined in complex geopolitical disputes and are subjects of varied international perspectives. While Pakistan has articulated its stance at the UN platform, diverse narratives and counterclaims exist on both matters from other involved nations, which are not outlined in the MOIB press release.