ISLAMABAD, Feb 5 – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday called for decisive international action to address the escalating human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and to ensure accountability for India’s unlawful actions.
In his message on Kashmir Solidarity Day, observed annually on February 5, Dar urged the global community to persuade India to implement United Nations Security Council resolutions and grant the Kashmiri people their promised right to self-determination.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their legitimate struggle for self-determination.
Dar stated, “Under illegal Indian occupation, the Kashmiri people remain deprived of their fundamental rights. Yet, their resilience testifies to the legitimacy of their just cause.”
He emphasized that the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir is India’s failure to implement UN Security Council resolutions that assure the Kashmiri people a free and impartial plebiscite. India’s continued defiance undermines the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the Fourth Geneva Convention, he added.
Dar highlighted that the situation in IIOJK has evolved from episodic violations to a continuous system of oppression. Since India’s unilateral and illegal actions on August 5, 2019, legal protections have been dismantled, local institutions weakened, and measures taken to establish permanent occupation, including demographic changes aimed at turning the Muslim majority into a minority, media suppression, and criminalization of dissent.
“Under the Hindutva-driven framework, people in IIOJK face constant discrimination. Recent profiling of mosques, where religious officials are forced to provide personal information, demonstrates the extent of institutionalized Islamophobia,” he said.
Dar reported ongoing severe human rights violations including fake encounters, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms. UN experts recently observed the arbitrary detention of nearly 2,800 individuals, including journalists, students, and human rights defenders.
“Pakistan will continue to stand with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters politically, morally, and diplomatically. Our efforts will remain focused on securing a peaceful and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” the deputy prime minister assured.
