The event brought together community leaders and members of the Kashmiri diaspora from the tri-state area. Participants discussed developments in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The discussion also focused on the rights of the Kashmiri people and prospects for a peaceful resolution.
Pakistan Reaffirms Kashmir Position
Consul General Aamer Ahmed Atozai reiterated Pakistan’s position on the Kashmir dispute.
He called for a peaceful settlement based on relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. He said those resolutions guarantee the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
Federal Minister Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon also addressed the gathering. He serves as chairman of Pakistan’s National Assembly Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir.
Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon described Kashmir as a longstanding national cause for Pakistan. He also paid tribute to those who have died during the Kashmir conflict.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s diplomatic, political and moral support for what he described as the Kashmiri people’s cause.
Calls for International Support
Ghazala Habib Khan, chairperson of Friends of Kashmir International, moderated the discussion.
She called for greater international solidarity and support for resolving the Kashmir dispute.
The event came days after Pakistan and other members of the OIC Contact Group discussed Kashmir during the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. The group reaffirmed support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination under relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has also called for a peaceful settlement of the dispute through relevant Security Council resolutions.
The New York roundtable extended those discussions into a community-level forum involving Kashmiri diaspora representatives.
