SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): The Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) has strongly rejected the joint statement by the foreign ministers of India and Afghanistan on Jammu and Kashmir, declaring that Kashmir remains an internationally recognized disputed territory, not an integral part of India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, DFP spokesperson Advocate Arshad Iqbal in a statement issued in Srinagar said the joint statement runs contrary to the spirit and letter of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, which explicitly recognize Jammu and Kashmir as an unresolved international dispute and guarantee the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people through a free and impartial plebiscite.
He said the Indian Foreign Minister’s remarks represent a deliberate distortion of historical facts and a gross violation of international law, as well as the solemn pledges India itself made before the international community and the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking strong exception to the Afghan Foreign Minister’s remarks, Advocate Iqbal expressed deep regret that a Muslim-majority country, which has itself suffered under decades of foreign domination and intervention, has chosen to echo India’s baseless and unlawful position on Kashmir.
UN resolutions on Kashmir
“By siding with India’s false narrative, the Afghan Foreign Minister has acted in open disregard of the UN resolutions on the Kashmir dispute,” he said.
He lamented that instead of expressing solidarity with the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir and supporting their legitimate and internationally recognized struggle, the Afghan leadership appears to be appeasing New Delhi for political convenience.
Reiterating that the ongoing movement in Jammu and Kashmir is a peaceful and lawful struggle for the right to self-determination, the DFP spokesperson said that right has been guaranteed by the United Nations and endorsed by the global community.
Advocate Iqbal described India as an occupying power that has been holding Jammu and Kashmir by force since 1947, stressing that Kashmiris have never accepted India’s illegal control and continue to resist its occupation through peaceful and legitimate means.
