News Desk |
Pakistan’s permanent envoy to the United Nations Dr Maleeha Lodhi said on Thursday that depriving the people of Kashmir of their right to self-determination was not only a travesty of justice but the non-implementation of the UN Charter was a threat to the world peace.
While addressing the UN General Assembly meeting to commemorate the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, Pakistan’s ambassador said that Kashmir is the oldest outstanding issue on the Security Council agenda.
“Keeping the Kashmiris deprived of their right to self-determination is alien to UN charter,” Dr Lodhi said, adding that people of the occupied Kashmir and Palestine were being kept deprived of their right to self-determination for a long time now.
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“UN charter provides security against war threats. UN charter is a ray of hope for those who have been deprived of justice. A global solution is needed to cope with international issues”, she said while addressing the participants of the meeting.
“Non-implementing UN charter is a threat to world peace,” she said. She urged for strict adherence to the principles of UN Charter and a united stand against any attempt to undermine the charter.
Dr Lodhi said that the continued denial of the right to self-determination to the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir was not only a travesty of justice but also an “egregious violation” of the UN Charter. She underscored that the fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter must be ensured to all people.
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Pakistan envoy also pointed to a growing tendency in the world by some to erode well-established norms of international law, including respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of states. Warning against unilateralism, she said, international cooperation is imperative and underpinned by the core values of mutual respect and tolerance in the increasingly interconnected world.
India Trampling Basic Human Rights in Kashmir ‘Unhindered’
In October 2018, it was reported, Lodhi while speaking in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) had said that India was trampling basic human rights in Kashmir ‘unhindered’ and the international community should take solid and meaningful steps to sort out the Kashmir conundrum.
She had reiterated that Pakistan wanted to resolve all of its problems, including the Kashmir issue through dialogue. “India has always evaded talks with Pakistan to bring an end to the Kashmir dispute. Kashmir is the oldest outstanding issue on the Security Council agenda”, she had added.
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She had regretted that the UN resolutions on Kashmir issue had yet to be implemented, adding fundamental rights were being violated in an organized manner in occupied Kashmir.
PM Talks to UN Secretary General
In December 2018, it was reported, Prime Minister Imran Khan had telephoned the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to convey his “deep shock and grave concern” at the human rights violations committed by Indian security forces in occupied Kashmir.
A statement issued by his office had said that the premier “underscored [the] UN’s role to end these violations” during the conversation. While citing the escalation in violence in the restive valley, especially the killing of more than a dozen civilians and injuries to over 300 protestors, Khan had termed the situation as “unacceptable”.
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“Jammu and Kashmir dispute is not a bilateral issue between Pakistan and India but an internationally recognized dispute and an outstanding agenda item in the UN Security Council,” the statement had quoted Khan as telling the UN chief.