Key Points
- The protesters called for the implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir
- They urged greater international scrutiny of the human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
- They also called for diplomatic efforts to resolve the longstanding dispute.
NEW YORK: Kashmiri-American and Pakistani-American community members staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Saturday against Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s address to the UN General Assembly.
The World Kashmir Awareness Forum and Kashmiri-American communities from the New York and Washington metropolitan areas staged the demonstration at UN Plaza.
Community leaders, women, children and elderly participants joined the protest in solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Held under the theme “A Call to the United Nations,” the demonstration called on the UN to honour its longstanding commitments to the people of Kashmir and implement relevant UN resolutions on the dispute.
Protesters carried placards and chanted slogans in support of Kashmir and the restoration of human rights in the region, as well as the special status of Kashmir.
Kashmiri leaders joint statement
In a joint statement issued during the demonstration, Kashmiri leaders expressed disappointment over India being given a platform at the General Assembly while the Kashmir dispute remained unresolved.
They alleged that the human rights situation in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir required greater international scrutiny and urged the United Nations to uphold principles of justice, human rights and international law.
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The speakers called for the people of Kashmir to be allowed to exercise their “fundamental and legal right to self-determination”.
They also urged the United Nations to take concrete steps to implement its resolutions on Kashmir through an independent plebiscite and facilitate a peaceful settlement of the dispute.
At the conclusion of the demonstration, the organisers submitted a memorandum to UN officials, calling for urgent diplomatic engagement aimed at a peaceful, fair and lasting resolution of the Kashmir issue.
