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ISLAMABAD, Oct 26 (APP):Federal Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs, Engineer Amir Maqam, called on the international community to hold a plebiscite in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in accordance with United Nations resolutions to ensure the due right of self-determination for the Kashmiri people.
“The decades-long independence movement and the perseverance of the Kashmiri people against Indian oppression are a message to the entire world that legitimate aspirations cannot be suppressed by force,” the minister said in a message issued by his office on the 78th Black Day of Kashmir.
The minister drew the attention of the world community to the new wave of oppression by Indian forces in the region after August 5, 2019.
He said that Indian forces are erasing the identity of the Kashmiri people by altering the population ratio and targeting the leadership of Kashmir.
Similarly, the Indian administration can arrest any individual, commit murder, and demolish civilian property without accountability under the cover of draconian laws.
Following the fresh wave of oppression after the Pehalgam attacks on April 22, 2025, Indian forces arrested thousands of civilians and demolished their houses.
The minister emphasized that this oppressive policy is not limited to the IIOJK region but also affects Kashmiri students in different parts of India, who are being intimidated and oppressed.
He said that the people of IIOJK have endured significant hardships and oppression over the last 78 years. However, the determination and resilience of the Kashmiri people remain unshakeable.
Highlighting the United Nations Security Council resolutions on the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people, Maqam said that these resolutions are still valid and applicable.
In this connection, the minister urged the UN and the world community to fulfill their promise of an independent plebiscite in IIOJK.
Expressing the resolve of Pakistan’s government and its people, the minister reiterated that the entire nation of Pakistan stands with the Kashmiri brethren.
“The pain of Kashmir is our pain, and the struggle of Kashmir is our struggle,” he said emphatically.
Pakistan will continue to extend political, moral, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people until the independence of Kashmir is achieved, in accordance with the wishes of its people, the minister vowed.
Maqam expressed hope that one day the sun of peace and justice will rise on the land of IIOJK and that South Asia will move toward stability and prosperity after the resolution of this long-standing conflict.