Brussels,(Unib Rashid) __ Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU), Ali Raza Syed, has stated that the Kashmiris’ struggle for the right to self-determination is in accordance with United Nations resolutions and will continue until this right is achieved.

He expressed these views while addressing a webinar titled “5th January: Kashmir, the United Nations, and the Demands of Justice” held by KCEU in connection with the Right to Self-Determination Day.

Experts and intellectuals from Europe and Kashmir participating in the online seminar discussed the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and emphasized that a plebiscite under UN supervision should be held in all regions of Kashmir so that Kashmiris can decide their own future.

It is noteworthy that 5th January holds exceptional and decisive importance in the history of the Kashmir dispute. This day commemorates the resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council 5th January 1949, which granted the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir the undeniable right to decide their political future through a free, fair, and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices.

Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed said that 5th January is a day of great significance for Kashmiris, as it marks the global recognition of their right to self-determination. This is a global promise to the Kashmiri people, which India also reiterated. He asserted that Kashmiris’ struggle will continue until the Kashmir issue is resolved peacefully and justly. The international community should pay attention to resolving this issue. The Kashmir issue must be resolved according to UN resolutions. Ali Raza Syed added that Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU) has been struggling for a long time to highlight the Kashmir issue and the rights of Kashmiris, and this struggle will continue. They will keep raising the voice of Kashmiris to European institutions.

President of World Kashmir Diaspora Alliance Europe, Chaudhry Khalid Mahmood Joshi, also addressed the webinar. He said Kashmiris must get their right to self-determination, and international institutions like the UN should play a role in this regard.

European intellectual and journalist based in Belgium, Andre Barcs, addressed the webinar, stating that atrocities on Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) must stop, and the Kashmir issue should be resolved peacefully and according to the wishes of people of Kashmir.

Another journalist and intellectual from Hungary, Mikulas Krivanszky, also expressed his views, stressing the need to stop atrocities in IIOJK and find a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue.

The speakers of the webinar stated that Indian atrocities in IIOJK are contrary to international human rights principles, all human values, and a violation of human dignity and respect.

They said every human being has fundamental rights, and the UN Human Rights Charter protects these rights. However, it is regrettable that the people of IIOJK are deprived of even basic human rights. Public gatherings are banned, and the communication system also faces frequent restrictions during the whole year, making it difficult for people in IIOJK to connect with the outside world. Thousands of youths have been missing for many years, and mass graves have been discovered containing the remains of many Kashmiris believed to have been killed in extrajudicial operations by security forces. Not only is a genocide of Kashmiris underway, but domicile laws are being changed to erase the identity of Kashmiris and alter their demographic ratio.

The speakers demanded that the international community play its role in preventing human rights violation against Kashmiris and resolving the Kashmir issue and allow Kashmiris to decide their political future by holding an impartial plebiscite in Kashmir.