ISLAMABAD – Ahead of the 80th UN General Assembly session, Pakistan is set to highlight human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and urge international action. Officials said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will address the assembly under the theme “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.” The speech aims to draw global attention to Kashmiris’ struggle for self-determination and ongoing abuses.
Pakistan stressed that India must not misrepresent Kashmiris’ legitimate struggle as terrorism. The government highlighted that the people of IIOJK are exercising their right to self-determination, as guaranteed under Articles 1 and 55 of the United Nations Charter and reaffirmed by UN General Assembly resolutions 1514 (1960), 2625 (1970), and 2649 (1970). Officials also cited UN Security Council resolutions 47 (1948), 80 (1950), and 98 (1952) calling for a plebiscite under UN supervision.
The government argued that India’s claim of Kashmir as an internal matter is invalid. Pakistan pointed to the continuous presence of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and official UN maps recognizing Kashmir as disputed territory. These references, officials said, confirm that the international community has neither accepted nor endorsed India’s unilateral claims.
Pakistan also highlighted the findings of the UN Human Rights report on Kashmir (2018) issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report called for an international inquiry into multiple violations in Kashmir. Authorities said the situation mirrors other global conflicts, such as Myanmar, where the UN recommended war crimes trials for military officials despite internal sovereignty claims.
Officials warned that the Kashmir crisis has escalated into a dangerous flashpoint between two nuclear-armed nations, threatening regional and global security. They cited systematic killings, mass detentions, enforced disappearances, and denial of basic freedoms to over 10 million Kashmiri Muslims, describing them as the most persecuted majority population in the world. Pakistan urged immediate international intervention to prevent further escalation.
In his address, the Prime Minister will call on the UN to expose India’s misrepresentation of Kashmiris, reaffirm their right to self-determination, highlight ongoing war crimes, and initiate a war crimes tribunal against responsible officials. Pakistan emphasized that resolving Kashmir is essential to maintain global peace and prevent potential nuclear confrontation between the two countries.