Kathmandu: The Embassy of Pakistan in Kathmandu organized a talk programme on “Jammu Kashmir Dispute on 5 August 2019 to 5 August 2020”.
The programme was attended by around fifteen distinguished writers, media men and analysts, as well as representatives of human rights organizations.
Speaking at the Talk Programme, Ambassador Mazhar Javed recollected important developments and international reactions to India’s illegal actions taken on 5 August 2019, and the alarming intensification of the human rights violations in that disputed territory.
Highlighting the centrality of the right of self-determination of the people of Jammu Kashmir, and the UNSC resolutions, the Ambassador recalled the discussions at the UNSC in August 2019 and then in January 2020.
The Pakistani envoy also referred to the statements of the UN Secretary General urging refrain from any steps that could affect the status of Jammu Kashmir, and underlining the importance of UN Security Council resolutions.
An important issue brought out at the Seminar were the grave human rights violations being committed by the Indian forces in the IIOJK.
Ambassador Javed highlighted the gravity and scale of the atrocities being committed by the Indian forces which had been widely reported and condemned internationally, especially by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, OIC, EU, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
In the Question-Answer session that followed, the participants urged a resolution of the dispute in accordance with the wishes of the people of Jammu Kashmir and UNSC resolutions. They also stressed the urgency to resolve the dispute which had been the biggest challenge to the regional peace and security, now for decades. They said that the international community had an important responsibility to ensure the rights of the people of Jammu Kashmir including their right of self-determination.
Mr. Manju Ratna Sakya, Secretary General Nepal-Pakistan Friendship and Cultural Association stressed the need to respect the rights of the people in IOJK, including their right to self-determination, and the centrality of the UN Security Council resolutions.
A one-minute silence was observed to pay homage to the martyrs in IOJK.
# A delayed posting, based on a press release issued by the Pakistan embassy in Kathmandu dated 04 August 2020: Editor.