Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday expressed firm opposition to the recent elections held in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), denouncing them as a sham and inadequate representation of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.

According to Kashmir Media Service, President Zardari, while speaking to a delegation of migrants from the IIOJK residing in Pakistan since 1989 led by Uzair Ahmed Ghazali, declared the elections unacceptable to the Kashmiri populace. He emphasized that these electoral exercises could not replace the fundamental right of the Kashmiris to choose their destiny through a fair plebiscite, as stipulated by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

He criticized the current government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its continuous human rights violations in the occupied territory and urged the international community to hold the Modi government accountable. The President also voiced concerns over India’s efforts to change the demographic makeup of IIOJK, aimed at marginalizing Kashmiri Muslims and diminishing their influence in their own land.

President Zardari called for immediate and concrete international actions to facilitate a legitimate self-determination process for the people of Kashmir. He reiterated that any measures by the Indian government to legitimize their control or suppress the ongoing freedom struggle would not undermine the resolve of the Kashmiri people.