ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday renewed its call on the international community, particularly the United Nations, to support efforts to resolve the decades-old Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, as the country marks Kashmir’s Accession to Pakistan Day.
The day commemorates a resolution adopted by the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference on July 19, 1947, in favor of the princely state’s accession to Pakistan before the partition of British India. Pakistan observes it annually to reaffirm its support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both countries claim the territory in full but administer separate parts of it and have fought several wars and military confrontations over the region.
“Pakistan has consistently advocated a peaceful and just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” President Asif Ali Zardari said in a message issued to mark the occasion.
“We urge the international community, particularly the United Nations, to fulfil its responsibility by supporting efforts aimed at ensuring the realization of the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination,” he added.
The UN Security Council resolutions call for the Kashmiri people to determine their future through a plebiscite. However, India maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and that the issue is a bilateral matter with Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said in a separate statement peace in South Asia required a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with the relevant Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
“Pakistan remains steadfast in its principled support for the inalienable right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions,” he added.
The statements came as Azad Jammu and Kashmir prepares for legislative elections on July 27 following weeks of unrest that left around 30 people dead and prompted a major security deployment across the region.
The unrest, triggered in part by a dispute over refugee seats in the Legislative Assembly, disrupted campaigning, shuttered businesses and raised concerns over whether polling could proceed on schedule.
Authorities have said the elections will go ahead as planned, though some opposition groups have questioned whether conditions allow for a free and transparent vote.
