Embassy of Pakistan

Brussels

Press Release

Ambassador Janjua Calls for Action to Realize the Right to Self Determination by the People of Jammu & Kashmir

On 5 January 1949, the United Nations committed to realization of the right to self-determination by the Kashmiri people through a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under its auspices. This day is commemorated by the Kashmiris to remind the international community of the commitment made to them by the United Nations 71 years ago, which to date remains unfulfilled.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, Zaheer A. Janjua, said that India has continued to deny this inalienable right to self-determination of the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) guaranteed by the UN Security Council, through excessive use of force committing gross and systemic human rights violations. A detailed account of these grave human rights abuses in IOJ&K by Indian forces has been documented in the two successive reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, published in June 2018 and July 2019.

The Ambassador stressed that the Indian illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 were in complete disregard of international law and a blatant violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions. The Indian actions were aimed at altering the disputed status of IOJ&K and bringing about a demographic change to undermine the right of Kashmiris to self-determination. Since then, the scale and impunity of Indian government’s draconian steps and repressive measures has increased manifold, resulting in egregious violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people, he added.

Describing the current situation in IOJ&K as the worst in recent history, the Ambassador highlighted that it had been converted into the largest open air prison in the world and the Kashmiris were in a state of lock down for over 150 days now. They continue to be deprived of their fundamental rights, including the right to life, food, health, freedom of expression and assembly. The denial of these fundamental freedoms for such a long duration poses serious challenge to the conscience of the world.

Ambassador Janjua called upon the international community to act in support of the realization of the right to self-determination of the people of IOJ&K and impress upon India to restore the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of Kashmiris. If India had nothing to hide, it must allow access to the UN Fact Finding Mission as well as the international media and civil society to independently report on the human rights situation in IOJ&K. The Ambassador also underscored that India must allow unhindered access to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to carry out its mandate and duties in IOJ&K.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s political, diplomatic and moral support to the valiant Kashmiri people in their just struggle for human dignity and their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Brussels

05 January 2020