NEW YORK: During a significant gathering in New York on Sunday to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day, speakers urged the United Nations to exert pressure on India to allow Kashmiri people to exercise their U.N.-pledged right of self-determination, ultimately aiming for regional peace.
At the conference, which was held at the Pakistan Consulate General, they also criticized the harsh methods used by Indian security forces to try to suppress the liberation movement of the Kashmiri people and demanded an end to the killings while reaffirming their complete support for their cause.
Participants in the gathering included opinion leaders, scholars, students, journalists, prominent members of the Pakistani community, the Kashmiri diaspora, and human rights defenders.
During his speech, Consul General Aamer Ahmad Atozai emphasized the agony that the Kashmiri people have endured for more than seven decades due to their denial of basic rights.
Atozai underscored the UN’s commitment to conduct a plebiscite to ascertain the desires of the Kashmiri people, calling for the implementation of Security Council resolutions.
He urged attendees to raise awareness about the challenging situation faced by Kashmiris under Indian occupation. Speakers at the event included Carin Jodha Fischer, a German-American political activist; Dr. Sima Karetnaya, UN Global Peace Ambassador in the US; and Kashmiri leaders and activists, including Sardar Sawar Khan, Dr. Asif Rehman, Saghir Khan, Zameer Ahmad, and Taj Khan.
Expressing concern over India’s actions in Kashmir, they called for international intervention to address the gross human rights violations in the disputed territory.
Emphasizing that the only path to lasting peace in South Asia is by allowing Kashmiris to exercise their fundamental right to self-determination, as outlined in relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the speakers also urged immediate attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
They called for listening to the voices of oppressed Kashmiris and supporting their just and legitimate struggle for liberation from India’s control.
