Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has said that lasting peace in South Asia depends on a just and durable solution to the Kashmir issue and urged the international community to move beyond expressions of concern and play a practical and effective role in resolving the long-standing dispute.

In a statement issued here in connection with the Kashmiris’ Right to Self-Determination Day, the governor said that the Kashmiri people’s struggle for the right to self-determination continues with full resolve even after more than seven decades, adding that United Nations resolutions on Kashmir remain valid and implementable. 

The governor said that denying the Kashmiri people their right to a plebiscite is a clear violation of international law. Emphasizing a peaceful resolution, Governor Kundi said that the Kashmir dispute cannot be resolved through the use of force but only through dialogue in accordance with UN resolutions. He said that strict restrictions on political freedoms are in place in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), while serious human rights violations continue unabated.

 Faisal Karim Kundi said that enforced laws, prolonged detentions, and arbitrary arrests have forced the people of IIOJK to live under constant fear, while ordinary civilians are facing violence and displacement. The governor also termed the use of water as a weapon as dangerous for regional peace, warning that any unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty would be a blatant violation of international obligations.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)