Qureshi reaffirms Pakistan's 'unflinching solidarity' with Kashmiris in IIOJK

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Kashmir Solidarity Day has reiterated Pakistan's unflinching solidarity with the Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO), the FM said that the entire Pakistani nation stands with the Kashmiris in their valiant struggle to secure their inalienable right to self-determination.

He further said that IIOJK is under continuous Indian military siege for 18 months now, adding that under the suffocating military siege and COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian army has continued fake encounters, cordon-and-search operations and indulged in a killing spree of Kashmiri youth in IIOJK.

He continued that the RSS-BJP regime following the extremist Hindutva ideology, has embarked on a design to change the demographic structure of the territory and obliterate the distinct Kashmiri identity by new domicile and property laws, as well as changing the official status of Urdu language.

The world must continue to act in support of the fundamental freedoms and basic human rights of the Kashmiris and urge India to allow the UN Fact Finding Mission to investigate the grave human rights violations in IIOJK, Qureshi urged.

"Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community to hold India accountable for its egregious violations of human rights and serious crimes against the Kashmiri people. Pakistan also reaffirms full support for its Kashmiri brothers and sisters. This solidarity will continue until the Kashmiris achieve their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter and relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. This is the only course to durable peace, security and development in South Asia," the FM said.