Senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Professor Abdul Ghani Butt has rejected the legitimacy of elections held in occupied Jammu and Kashmir reiterating that the disputed territory's final status can only be determined through an UN-supervised plebiscite, not through polls conducted under Indian auspices. According to Kashmir Media Service, Professor Butt in a statement issued in Srinagar said that in the past, elections to the IIOJK assembly were held to manage administrative affairs, but these elections did not change the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir. He added that the international community has rejected India's attempts to substitute these elections for the right to self-determination, and the UN Security Council has passed a resolution stating that the IIOJK legislature has no authority to change the disputed status of the territory.

Professor Butt emphasized that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved through fake elections, changing the population ratio, intimidation, killing, and cultural, moral, and economic terrorism. He reiterated that the Kashmir issue can only be resolved through justice, law, and respecting the rights of the people. He demanded that the three parties to the Kashmir dispute - India, Pakistan, and the people of Kashmir - should sit together to resolve the issue through negotiations, as it has not only hindered the progress of South Asia but also poses a severe threat to global peace.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan