United Nations (TDI): Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council to play an active role in securing a just and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, warning that genuine peace in South Asia will remain elusive until the decades-old issue is settled in line with UNSC resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonization Committee, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, reaffirmed Islamabad’s desire for “peaceful and cooperative” ties with India, but said peace cannot be built on “injustice, denial, and the suppression of fundamental rights.”
“India must halt its grave human rights abuses in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and immediately revoke all unilateral and unlawful actions taken since August 5, 2019,” he said, referring to New Delhi’s decision six years ago to revoke the region’s special status.
The Pakistani envoy noted that despite the UN’s historic Declaration on Decolonization, which affirms that all peoples have the right to self-determination, both the Palestinians and the Kashmiris remain deprived of that inalienable right.
“The tragedy of Palestine continues to cast a long shadow over the credibility of the international order and this very Organization,” Ambassador Asim said, pointing to the massive destruction and loss of life in Gaza. “Generations of Palestinians have endured occupation, dispossession, and repeated cycles of violence. The devastation unfolding in Gaza over the past two years is the latest manifestation of that injustice.”
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He emphasized that a durable peace in the Middle East depends on realizing the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and establishing an independent, contiguous State of Palestine within pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. “Occupation must end, it is the root cause of instability in the region,” he said.
Referring to ongoing diplomatic efforts, Ambassador Asim noted that recent consultations initiated by US President Donald Trump with Arab and OIC leaders, along with the announcement of a new plan, had been “widely acknowledged.” He expressed hope for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, unhindered humanitarian access, and a credible political process leading toward Palestinian statehood.
Turning to the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Pakistani envoy said it remains one of the oldest unresolved disputes on the UN’s agenda. The Security Council’s resolutions, he noted, clearly stipulate that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir must be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under UN supervision.
“Both India and Pakistan accepted these commitments. Under Article 25 of the UN Charter, implementation of these resolutions is binding,” Ambassador Asim emphasized. “Yet for over seven decades, India has evaded these obligations through repression and deception.”
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He said IIOJK has become “the most militarized zone in the world,” with nearly 900,000 Indian troops stationed there. “This military occupation has unleashed a reign of terror, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, and collective punishment. The entire legitimate Kashmiri leadership has been imprisoned since 2019, and several leaders have died in custody.”
Despite the ongoing repression, he said, the Kashmiri people have continued their “courageous and peaceful struggle” for freedom, rejecting India’s “illegal measures and staged political exercises.”
Ambassador Asim further accused India of pursuing a settler-colonial agenda in the occupied territory aimed at altering its demographic composition. “Millions of illegal domicile certificates have been issued to non-residents, while vast tracts of land and property have been seized for military and official purposes,” he said. “This is a blatant attempt to transform a Muslim-majority region into a Hindu-majority one, an enterprise rooted in the extremist Hindutva ideology that fuels religious intolerance and minority persecution.”
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He concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s determination to uphold the principles of decolonization and self-determination. “The credibility of the United Nations,” he said, “depends on the fulfillment of these promises, not their abandonment. Pakistan will continue to advocate for the just causes of Palestine and Kashmir until justice is delivered.”
