ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top leadership has called for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, reaffirming support for Kashmiris as the country observes Black Day marking 79 years since Indian forces landed in Srinagar on October 27, 1947.
In separate messages issued on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar urged the international community to play a greater role in addressing the longstanding dispute and the human rights concerns in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Shehbaz said the events of October 27, 1947, had marked the beginning of a prolonged and painful chapter in the region’s history. He expressed concern over the detention of Kashmiri political leaders, activists and human rights defenders, and reiterated that lasting peace in South Asia required a settlement in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
President Zardari also called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to pay sustained attention to the situation in the disputed territory. He cited restrictions on fundamental freedoms, arrests and reports of rights violations as matters requiring continued international scrutiny.
Dar, meanwhile, said Kashmiris continued to be denied their right to self-determination despite decades of dispute. He argued that India’s unilateral measures of August 5, 2019, had deepened concerns about the region’s political status and the rights of its residents.
The foreign minister urged the international community to encourage respect for fundamental rights and support efforts towards a just and lasting settlement. He said the dispute could not be resolved through unilateral measures or the use of force.
Pakistan’s leadership reiterated that the country would continue providing political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri people, maintaining that a peaceful resolution of the dispute was essential for long-term regional stability.
