NEW YORK: Pakistan, marking the fourth anniversary of India’s brutal siege of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, dismissed India’s claims of progress, development, and normalcy in the disputed territory as “a fantasy and a myth.”
Speaking at the Kashmir solidarity webinar, Ambassador Munir Akram emphasized that since August 2019, human rights abuses, violence, and restrictions on freedoms had intensified, refuting India’s narrative of normalcy in the region.
“In the occupied territory, there is only one normality, i.e., normalization of violence,” the Pakistani envoy remarked during the observance of “Youm-e-Istehsal” (Day of Exploitation).
Ambassador Akram asserted that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions that grant the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination.
The webinar, organized by the Pakistan Mission to the UN in New York, saw representatives of key OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) countries reaffirming their support for the UN-pledged rights to self-determination of the Kashmiri people. Participating countries included Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the OIC Ambassador to the UN.
The event also featured prominent Kashmiri leader Dr. Imtiaz Khan, UN correspondent Abdelhamid Siyam, and other Kashmir activists, who shared their perspectives on the ongoing struggle for freedom.
Kashmiri People’s Fight for Independence
During the webinar, a documentary highlighting the Kashmiri people’s fight for independence, produced by the Pakistan Mission, was screened.
Ambassador Akram criticized India for imposing demographic changes on Jammu and Kashmir and promoting the myth of normalcy while violating international law and UN resolutions. He highlighted the religious and ethnic persecution faced by Kashmiris due to the ideology of “Hindutva” and India’s disinformation campaign that fueled Islamophobia.
Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, the Pakistani envoy called on the international community to take preventive measures to halt human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir and hold the occupying country accountable. He stressed the need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict to end the suffering of millions of Kashmiris.
Ambassador Akram concluded, “It is time to shatter the myth of normalcy and make peace a new normal.”
