New York: Speakers at a seminar held in New York in observance of Kashmir Black Day have stressed that the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is essential for achieving lasting peace in South Asia. The seminar highlighted the need for a settlement in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

According to Radio Pakistan, the seminar was organized collaboratively by the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations and the Consulate General of Pakistan in New York. Participants paid tribute to the people of Kashmir who have faced prolonged occupation and repression. The struggle of the Kashmiri people was described as a quest for justice, human dignity, and the right to self-determination.

Speakers underscored the ongoing freedom struggle as a reminder of the United Nations’ responsibility to uphold its Charter and implement Security Council resolutions concerning Jammu and Kashmir. They noted that UN resolutions are central to achieving a peaceful settlement, including enabling the Kashmiri people to determine their future through a free and impartial plebiscite.

The seminar featured addresses by the Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Usman Jadoon, Consul General Aamer Ahmed Atozai, Secretary General of the Kashmir Awareness Forum, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, among others. Attendees included prominent Kashmiri political leaders, human rights advocates, diplomats, students, and members of the Pakistani and Kashmiri diaspora.