UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan’s consulate in New York organised a special event to observe Kashmir Black Day, with the Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Munir Akram, urging the youthful audience to get involved in building public opinion in support of Kashmir’s struggle for its right to self-determination.
About half of the gathering at the event, which marked the anniversary of India’s invasion and occupation of Kashmir on October 27, 1947, was Pakistan-American students from various colleges in New York state.
Addressing the attendants, Akram asked them to help create awareness among people in the US about the Kashmir dispute, highlighting the gross rights violations in the disputed territory.
“This [US] is a democratic country and its leaders are responsive to the pressures from their constituents.”
On the diplomatic front, he said, Pakistan was doing all it can to enable Kashmir people to exercise their right of self-determination through an UN-supervised plebiscite in accordance with the Security Council resolutions.
At the UN, he said, as a result of Pakistan’s efforts, the Security Council has met thrice on Kashmir since August 2019 when India annexed Kashmir.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made a strong statement upholding Security Council resolutions to resolve the dispute, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued two reports denouncing rights abuses in Kashmir and calling for an investigation.
Pakistan will continue to press ahead to build up international press pressure on India to resolve the decades-old dispute, he said, adding that Islamabad will always stand by the people of Kashmir.
Earlier, Consul General Ayesha Ali welcomed the participants who attended the event in large numbers on a working day.
She denounced Indian state-sponsored terrorism and the demographic changes it was attempting to bring about in occupied Kashmir.
In this regard, Ali expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir.
Other speakers included Ali Rasheed, president of the American-Pakistan advocacy group, Tashfeen Qayyum, a Kashmir-born activist and Asif Rehman, chairman of the Kashmir Humanitarian Taskforce.
On the occasion, messages of President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan were readout.
A documentary depicting the oppression let loose by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir and human rights abuses there was shown.
The meeting ended with a prayer for the liberation of Kashmir from Indian yoke and for the solidarity and integrity of Pakistan.
