ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Thursday strongly condemned India’s “systematic repression” and widespread human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), calling for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination to be fully respected, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andarabi said during the weekly briefing.

Speaking to reporters, Andarabi highlighted that Pakistan joined the people of Jammu and Kashmir in commemorating Right to Self-Determination Day on 5 January, marking the adoption of a 1949 United Nations resolution recognizing the Kashmiri people’s right to determine their own future through a free and impartial plebiscite. “The Kashmiri people have been denied this right for over seven decades,” he said, describing India’s illegal occupation as “a stark tragedy of our time.”

The spokesman detailed the harsh realities faced by Kashmiris, including arbitrary detentions, harassment, profiling, and “cordon and search” operations. He said India continues to target Kashmiri political leaders and civil society members, citing cases of Massarat Alam, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Asia Andrabi, Dr Qasim Faktu, Advocate Abdul Qayyum, Fehmida Soofi, Yasin Malik, Khurram Parvez, and journalist Irfan Mehraj. Andarabi also condemned India’s August 2019 actions as an attempt to consolidate occupation through demographic engineering.

“Despite decades of oppression, the Kashmiri people remain resolute in their just struggle,” he said, reaffirming Pakistan’s “unwavering moral, political, and diplomatic support” for their right to self-determination.

The briefing also covered Pakistan’s active diplomatic engagement with key partners. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar recently co-chaired the 7th round of the Pakistan–China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue in Beijing, reaffirming support for each other on core interests, including the one-China principle, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong, and South China Sea issues. Pakistan and China also discussed further cooperation under CPEC 2.0, regional peace and stability, and counterterrorism measures concerning Afghanistan.

Andarabi further highlighted DPM/FM Dar’s recent bilateral engagements with foreign counterparts from Myanmar, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Türkiye, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Azerbaijan, focusing on regional security, trade, investments, and conflict resolution. Notably, discussions with Azerbaijan included finalizing mechanisms to realize US$2 billion in planned investments in Pakistan.

The weekly briefing reaffirmed Pakistan’s dual approach of raising the Kashmir issue at the international level while pursuing active regional diplomacy to promote peace, stability, and development in South Asia and beyond.