Rallies, marches, and seminars were held across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday to mark Right to Self-Determination Day, with participants urging the United Nations to implement its January 5 resolutions on Kashmir as a prerequisite for lasting peace in South Asia.
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In Muzaffarabad, the Pasban-i-Hurriyat Jammu Kashmir (PHJK), representing post-1989 migrants from Indian-occupied Kashmir, organised a large rally from Burhan Wani Shaheed Chowk to the UN Observers’ Office near Domel. Participants, including women, children, and the elderly, carried banners highlighting human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir and demanded a UN-supervised process to determine the region’s political future.
A Promise Betrayed, A People Silenced
On 5 January, Kashmiris mark Right to Self-Determination Day, a right guaranteed by the UN in 1949 and still denied.
Video message by Dr. Mujahid Gillani, President Kashmir Youth Alliance.@mujahid_gilani@KashmirUrdu#Kashmir… pic.twitter.com/BdY7fGZcrf— Kashmir English (@KashmirEng) January 5, 2026
Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar called upon the UN to enforce its resolutions, describing the January 5 resolution as a roadmap for resolving the decades-old dispute. PHJK chairman Uzair Ahmed Ghazali urged the international community to play a more effective role, including securing the release of political prisoners. Protesters raised slogans against the Indian military presence, reaffirming their commitment to the Kashmiri struggle.
Similar events were held across district headquarters, and a seminar at Kashmir House in Islamabad saw participation from senior AJK leaders, including former presidents, premiers, and APHC representatives. AJK Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, attending a seminar in Islamabad, emphasized that Kashmir remained a disputed territory and urged the UN to honor its commitments.
Speakers at an ISSI-KIIR-APHC conference highlighted the historical context of UN resolutions, including the UNCIP resolution of January 5, 1949, which guaranteed the right to self-determination for Kashmiris.
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They criticized India for failing to implement these resolutions and pursuing demographic changes, particularly after August 2019. Intellectuals and students attending the events were encouraged to understand the dispute in its true perspective and to advocate for Kashmiri rights internationally.
The rallies and seminars underscored the enduring call for justice, highlighting that decades of struggle and human rights violations have yet to see meaningful resolution.