NEW YORK: A resolution moved by Pakistan calling for ensuring the right to self-determination of all people, including those living under foreign occupation, colonial domination and alien subjugation, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with consensus today.
The resolution stated that full realization of the right to self-determination was crucial for the protection and advancement of human rights in the world.
For over four decades, Pakistan has tabled this annual resolution to draw attention to the ongoing struggles of peoples denied their right to self-determination, particularly those living under oppressive occupations.
The resolution mentioned the situation in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine, and said people in these areas were still deprived of their right to Self-determination.
The international community has failed to ensure the birthright of the people even after many decades, it added.
“The unanimous adoption of this resolution reflects the collective will of UN member states and strengthens the principle of self-determination, as enshrined in international law, including the UN Charter and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights, and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It also reaffirms the global commitment to justice, peace, and equality,” said a statement issued by Pakistan’s permanent mission to the UN.
Observers are of the opinion that the unanimous passage of the resolution was a message of solidarity to peoples across the world who continue to struggle for freedom and independence from foreign occupation.
Pakistan has been in the forefront in the struggle to ensure the right to self-determination for people who still remain deprived of it in many parts of the world, including the occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine.