Islamabad : Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across the globe are observing Right to Self-Determination Day today (Monday) to reaffirm their commitment to the Kashmir cause and to bring attention to the unresolved dispute. The day was officially declared by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC).
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a range of peaceful activities including demonstrations, rallies, seminars, and awareness programs are taking place at the divisional and district levels. In the capital, Muzaffarabad, public gatherings and processions have been organized by various groups including the Kashmir Liberation Cell, Pasban-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir, and the International Forum for Justice. Participants are marching peacefully towards the United Nations (UN) Observer Mission office in the city.
To mark this important day, all three local radio stations are airing special broadcasts that emphasize the importance of the right to self-determination for the Kashmiri people.
January 5 holds special historical significance as it was on this day in 1949 that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a landmark resolution, calling for a free and fair plebiscite to determine the future status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging the United Nations to ensure the implementation of its own resolutions recognizing the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to determine their future. In his letter, the party’s Acting President, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, highlighted the deteriorating political and human rights conditions in the region, which remains under India’s illegal occupation, as acknowledged by the UN.
Saghar also stressed the need for the final status of Jammu and Kashmir to be decided in accordance with the wishes of its people, through a free and impartial plebiscite supervised by the United Nations, as per the 1949 UNSC resolution.
