The United Nations (UN) has approved a resolution reaffirming the world’s dedication to the belief of self-determination for people who are still living under colonial, foreign, and illegal occupation. Pakistan stressed that the right of self-determination is a major part of the UN’s goals and principles.
Pakistan has been supporting this resolution since 1981 and has been continuously struggling to draw the world’s attention to the people are still living under illegal occupation, including in Kashmir and Palestine.
The General Assembly will likely approve the text of the resolution next month.
Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad submitted the resolution on behalf of his country. However, the General Assembly’s Third Committee handeling social, humanitarian, and cultural matters approved the submitted resolution without a vote.
Ambassador Asim Ahmad Iftikhar said while introducing the resolution that there are several people who are still struggling for basic liberty and living their lives under illegal occupation. “Their legitimate aspirations are often met with excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, communication blockades, and attempts at demographic engineering, including illegal settlements,” the Ambassador said.
According to the Pakistani envoy, the right of self-determination is written as a basic human right in the UN Charter. The Pakistani envoy also said that it’s not only mentioned in the UN Charter but several other international documents, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Covenant on Social and Cultural Rights.
The resolution called on the Human Rights Council to give more attention to the violation of human rights, including the right to self-determination, resulting from foreign military action, hostility, or military control.
