UNITED NATIONS, Sep 27 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday slammed India’s ‘classical settler-colonial project’ in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) by seizing land, settling non-Kashmiris, and threatening the Muslim-majority population’s autonomy and cultural identity.
Such hackneyed Indian tactics employed by all occupying powers, had historically failed and would fail again in Jammu and Kashmir, he said in his address to the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The prime minister emphasized the need for India to uphold its commitments and work toward a peaceful resolution, ensuring the people of IIoJK can exercise their fundamental right to self-determination.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with the Kashmiri people, praising their unwavering resolve against India’s imposed identity and oppression. He emphasized that Burhan Wani’s legacy ignited the struggle, reminding that every statistic represented a “life affected, a dream delayed, and hope lost”.
Similar to the people of Palestine, he said, the people of Jammu and Kashmir had been striving to attain their freedom and right to self-determination.
“Instead of moving towards peace, India has backtracked from commitments to implement the Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that the resolutions mandated a plebiscite to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their fundamental right to self-determination.
Condemning India’s actions in IIOJK, the prime minister stated that since August 5, 2019, India had taken unilateral and illegal steps to impose a so-called “Final Solution” on the region.
“This has led to a surge in human rights abuses, with 900,000 Indian troops terrorizing the population, imposing prolonged curfews, and engaging in extra-judicial killings and abductions of young Kashmiris.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed concern over India’s escalating military buildup, targeted at Pakistan, emphasizing its aggressive war doctrines that entail surprise attacks and limited wars under the nuclear umbrella.
He said that India had rejected Pakistan’s proposals for a mutual Strategic Restraint Regime, and its leadership had repeatedly threatened to cross the Line of Control and seize Azad Kashmir.
He categorically warned that Pakistan would respond “vigorously and decisively” to any Indian aggression, utilizing all its capabilities.
He emphasized that for durable peace, India must reverse its unilateral measures taken since August 5, 2019, and engage in dialogue to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per the UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
He said the illegal occupation created a fresh hell, every day, in the killing fields of Palestine, and in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.