Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif urge world to help resolve Kashmir dispute

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have called on the international community, in particular the United Nations and international human rights organisations, to take serious notice of the human rights situation in what Pakistan calls Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. They also asked for a meaningful role in reaching a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the dispute.

The appeals came in separate messages for Kashmir Black Day, marked on 27 October. According to the reports, the President said the date recalls the day in 1947 when Indian forces landed in Srinagar, which he described as the start of a long and painful chapter in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Zardari said the day reaffirms Pakistan's support for the Kashmiri people's struggle for their fundamental and inalienable right to self-determination. He said that over the past eight decades the people of the territory have suffered violence, repression and serious violations of basic rights, and that generations of Kashmiris have made great sacrifices for justice, dignity and freedom.

The President said lasting peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia are closely linked to resolving the long-standing dispute in line with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He said Pakistan will continue to give the people of the territory its steadfast moral, diplomatic and political support.

In his message, Prime Minister Sharif said the day marks the beginning of a tragic chapter, as Indian forces entered Srinagar 79 years ago. He said its effects still cast a dark shadow over the region, and that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have since been denied the right to self-determination recognised in the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Mr Sharif said the prolonged detention of Kashmiri political leaders, activists and human rights defenders remains a concern. He said the situation calls for respect for legal requirements and fundamental freedoms, and for greater attention from the international community to conditions in the territory.

He said Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir is clear, consistent and principled. According to him, lasting peace and stability in South Asia cannot be achieved without a just and peaceful solution in line with the Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.