PM Shehbaz says Kashmir dispute must be resolved for lasting South Asian peace

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Tuesday that lasting peace and stability in South Asia depended on a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, as Pakistan marked the anniversary of the arrival of Indian forces in Srinagar in 1947.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Tuesday that lasting peace and stability in South Asia depended on a just and peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, as Pakistan marked the anniversary of the arrival of Indian forces in Srinagar in 1947.

In a statement issued on Kashmir Black Day, Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s political, diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiri people.

“On this Jammu and Kashmir Black Day, the government and people of Pakistan reaffirm their unwavering solidarity with the people of IIOJK,” the Prime Minister’s Office quoted Sharif as saying.

Sharif said Indian forces had landed in Srinagar 79 years ago, marking what he described as a tragic chapter in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the people of Kashmir had been denied their right to self-determination, as provided for in relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The prime minister also criticised what he described as restrictions on political expression and the imprisonment of Kashmiri political leaders, activists and human rights defenders. He called for due process, respect for basic liberties and greater international attention to the situation.

Sharif said India had taken unilateral measures in Indian-administered Kashmir since August 5, 2019, accompanied by restrictions on fundamental freedoms. Pakistan had consistently called for the developments to be addressed in accordance with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, he said.

The prime minister also paid tribute to Kashmiri men, women and children who had lost their lives in the conflict, according to the statement.