BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 27. The Embassy of
Pakistan in Baku held an event on October 27 to mark Jammu and
Kashmir Black Day, with participants expressing solidarity with the
Kashmiri people and highlighting Pakistan’s position on the
disputed territory, the embassy said.
The event brought together representatives of civil society,
think tanks, print and electronic media, members of the Pakistani
community, Azerbaijani intellectuals and students.
Messages from Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar were read during the event.
In her address, Sara Ijaz, chargé d’affaires at the Pakistani
Embassy in Baku, reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri
people’s right to self-determination. She also raised concerns over
the human rights situation in Indian-administered Jammu and
Kashmir, particularly following India’s revocation of Articles 370
and 35-A of its Constitution on August 5, 2019.
Ijaz cited alleged arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings,
restrictions on media and communications, and measures that
Pakistan says could alter the territory’s demographic
composition.
She described Jammu and Kashmir as an internationally recognized
dispute and argued that unilateral actions cannot change its status
or diminish the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination. She
referred to relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions
and international law.
Ijaz also expressed appreciation for Azerbaijan’s continued
support for Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir.
The event included a photo exhibition depicting the human rights
situation in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Members of the
Pakistani community, Azerbaijani intellectuals, students and other
attendees also expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
Jammu and Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan
since the partition of British India in 1947. Both countries
administer parts of the territory and claim it in full, while the
dispute has remained a longstanding issue in their bilateral
relations.
