Pakistan’s prime minister Thursday urged the United Nations to fulfill its commitment and implement its own resolutions on Kashmir dispute in a message marking the United Nations Day.
The message, issued by the office of Imran Khan, quoted the premier as saying: “One of the oldest issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council [UNSC], situation in IOJ&K [Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir] serves as an ignominious reminder of a brutal and oppressive occupation that has already lasted a lifetime.”
Kashmiri people are still waiting for the international community to fulfill its promise to provide them with the opportunity to freely exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, Khan said.
Stressing the UN role in the struggle against colonialism and the protection and promotion of fundamental human rights, Khan said Pakistan is proud to have played its part in upholding the noble ideals espoused by the UN.
“Universal ideals of the Charter continue to be violated in plain sight of the international community across many parts of the world — nowhere more egregiously than in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” read his message.
The United States, on the other hand, sought from India a “roadmap” to political and economic normalcy in Kashmir and immediate release of all political detainees, adding that it has seen “progress” in easing of restrictions.
Most of the top-level and second rung separatist politicians of Jammu and Kashmir have been taken into preventive custody while mainstream leaders, including two former chief ministers — Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been either detained or placed under house arrest after centre’s decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir and splitting the state into two Union Territories.
We continue to press for the release of detainees for the full restoration of everyday services, but most importantly, for roadmap to the restoration of political and economic normalcy,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Alice G Wells.
The US said it remains “deeply concerned” about the situation in the Valley where daily life of nearly eight million residents has been severely impacted since the decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and to “detain without charge” political leaders and restrict communications, Ms Wells said in an interaction with reporters at Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.
