ISLAMABAD: On Sunday, as Pakistan observed Jan 5 as Right to Self-Determination Day, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, and the leadership of Azad Jammu and Kashmir renewed calls for the implementation of United Nations resolutions on Kashmir, urging the international community to support a UN-backed plebiscite to determine the region’s future.
In separate statements, the leaders reaffirmed Pakistan’s political, moral, and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people and called on India to reverse its actions of August 5, 2019, which revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
President Zardari noted that Jan 5 is observed in solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir to mark the adoption of a 1949 UN resolution recognising the disputed status of the territory and affirming the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite. He emphasised that more than seven decades later, the UN’s commitment remains unfulfilled. “The continued denial of this right is in clear contradiction to the UN Charter and international law,” he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute is essential for durable peace in South Asia. He urged the international community to press India to halt human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), reverse its unilateral actions of 2019, repeal repressive laws, and allow Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination. “Pakistan will continue to extend its unwavering moral, political, and diplomatic support to your cause,” he added.
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Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti described Right to Self-Determination Day as a reminder that Kashmiris’ right to determine their future is not a political slogan, but a legally recognised international commitment under UN Security Council resolutions. He said India’s ongoing occupation violates these resolutions, adopted on Jan 5, 1949, which granted Kashmiris the right to a free and fair plebiscite.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry called on the UN and the international community to play an active role in resolving the Kashmir issue according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He stressed that despite oppression, Kashmiris remain committed to the territorial integrity of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
PM Shehbaz Sharif said that the world must recognise that a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was the only way to achieve durable peace in South Asia.https://t.co/Y5dPg5NSI6
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 5, 2026
AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore expressed disappointment over the UN’s inaction, noting that the promise of self-determination made seven decades ago remains unfulfilled. He reiterated that holding a plebiscite, as outlined in the UN’s roadmap, is the primary responsibility of the international community to ensure justice for Kashmiris.
The observance of Right to Self-Determination Day in Pakistan underscores continued diplomatic efforts to draw international attention to the Kashmir dispute and press for implementation of long-standing UN resolutions.
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