ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to implement its resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, urging India to reverse its unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, as Islamabad marked the seventh anniversary of New Delhi’s decision to unilaterally revoke the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, handed over a letter from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to the President of the UN Security Council, Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
India’s August 5 measures violated UNSC resolutions
The letter said India’s August 5, 2019 measures violated relevant UN Security Council resolutions, international law and the UN Charter by attempting to alter the internationally recognised disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.
DPM/FM Writes to UN Security Council on Seventh Anniversary of India’s Illegal and Unilateral Actions in IIOJK
– Our Press Release pic.twitter.com/YGqIff2gio
— Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) August 6, 2026
Pakistan drew the Security Council’s attention to what it described as India’s continued efforts to change the demographic, political and cultural character of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) through amendments to domicile laws, land ownership regulations, electoral arrangements and administrative structures, including the issuance of around 3.4 million domicile certificates to non-residents.
The letter also expressed grave concern over the human rights situation in the occupied territory, citing arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and the continued enforcement of laws including the Public Safety Act (PSA), Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Continued detention of Kashmiri political leaders
It highlighted the continued detention of Kashmiri political leaders, including Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Yasin Malik and Asiya Andrabi, as well as journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and civil society activists. The communication further noted restrictions on sixteen political organisations representing the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s letter also raised concerns over restrictions on religious freedom, including repeated curbs on congregational prayers at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid, increased monitoring of religious institutions, the closure and regulation of seminaries, the takeover of 215 community-run schools and concerns related to the implementation of the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
India’s increasingly aggressive posture
Referring to regional security, the letter warned that India’s increasingly aggressive posture, inflammatory rhetoric, the deployment of an estimated 700,000 to 900,000 security personnel in IIOJK, and its decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance had heightened tensions and increased risks to peace and stability in South Asia.
Pakistan urged the Security Council to press India to reverse its unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, halt measures aimed at changing the status and demographic composition of the occupied territory, ensure protection of the human rights of the Kashmiri people, and engage in meaningful dialogue for a peaceful settlement in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The letter also called on the UN Secretary-General to actively use his offices to facilitate a just, peaceful and lasting resolution of the Kashmir dispute, stressing that the unresolved issue continues to pose a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.
Pakistan dismisses India’s remarks on Azad Kashmir elections
Earlier, Pakistan strongly rejected the “baseless” and “politically motivated” remarks made by India’s Ministry of External Affairs regarding the ongoing Legislative Assembly elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Speaking at his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said it was unsurprising that India issued such comments on the eve of the seventh anniversary of its actions of 5 August 2019.
Also Read: Pakistan Dismisses India’s Remarks on Azad Kashmir Elections as Baseless
He stated that those measures were illegal and unilateral, aimed at changing the internationally recognised disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.
He added that the actions violated relevant UN Security Council resolutions, international law, and India’s international commitments.
The spokesperson said the AJK Legislative Assembly elections are being conducted peacefully, transparently, and in accordance with the constitutional and legal framework governing the region.
He added that the electoral process reflects the democratic aspirations and political will of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan reiterates Kashmir’s disputed status
Tahir Andrabi maintained that India has neither the legal standing nor the moral authority to comment on the democratic process in AJK while, according to Pakistan, it continues to deny the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) their political rights and democratic freedoms.
He further said that no amount of misinformation or propaganda can change Pakistan’s position that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised disputed territory.
He reiterated Pakistan’s view that the final status of the region should be determined in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and through a UN-administered plebiscite reflecting the will of the Kashmiri people.
