Daily Times

UNITED NATIONS: On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Consulate in New York organised a special event to observe Kashmir Black Day, with Ambassador Munir Akram urging a youthful audience to get involved in building public opinion in support Kashmiri people’s struggle for their right to self-determination.

Almost half of the gathering at the event, which marks the anniversary of India’s massive invasion and occupation of Kashmir on 27 October 1947, were Pakistani-American students from colleges in New York.

Addressing himself to the young people, Ambassador Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, asked them to help create awareness among people here about the Kashmir issue, highlighting the gross human rights abuses in the disputed territory.

“This is a democratic country and its leaders are responsive the pressures from their constituents.”

On the diplomatic front, he said, Pakistan was doing all it can to enable Kashmiri people to exercise their right of self-determination through a UN-supervised plebiscite in accordance with the UN security Council resolutions.

At the UN, he said, as a result of Pakistan’s efforts, the Security council has met thrice on Kashmir since 2019 when India’s annexed occupied Kashmir.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, made a strong statement upholding UN Security Council resolutions to resolve the dispute over Kashmir, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued two reports denouncing rights abuses in Kashmir and calling for investigation.

Pakistan will continue to press ahead to build up international press pressure on India to resolve the decades-old dispute, he said, adding that Islamabad will always standby the people of Kashmir.

Earlier, Consul General Ayesha Ali welcomed the participants who attended the event in large numbers on a working day.

She denounced India’s state terrorism and the demographic changes it is bringing about in occupied Kashmir.

In this regard, Ayesha Ali expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir. Other speakers included, Ali Rasheed, president of American-Pakistan advocacy group, Tashfeen Qayyum, a Kashmiri activist and Asif Rehman, chairman of the Kashmir Humanitarian Taskforce.

On the occasion, messages of President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan were read out. A documentary depicting the oppression let loose by Indian security forces in occupied Kashmir and human rights abuses there was shown.

The meeting ended with a “dua” for the liberation of the Kashmiri people from India’s yoke and for the solidarity and integrity of Pakistan.