Photo Exhibition Highlighting Kashmiri Resilience And Perseverance For Freedom Started At Kecioren

Press Release

Ankara, 3rd August 2023

PHOTO EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTING KASHMIRI RESILIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE FOR FREEDOM STARTED AT KECIOREN

A two-day photo exhibition highlighting Indian gross human rights violations and Kashmiri resilience in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) began at Kecioren today. Mayor of Kecioren Turgut Altinok and Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires Abbas Sarwar Qureshi jointly inaugurated the exhibition.

The exhibition is being held in connection with fourth ‘Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir’, meaning ‘Day of Exploitation of Kashmir’, the day when Indian government, breaching international law especially UN Security Council resolutions, undertook further illegal and unilateral actions and revoked special status of IIOJK, in order to perpetuate its occupation of the region.

Speaking at the occasion, Mayor Kecioren Turgut Altinok reiterated Turkish support for the Kashmir Cause, and stated that desire for freedom and justice always prevailed over oppression and subjugation. He underscored that Kashmir was destined to see the dawn of freedom and in this struggle, Turkish brothers would always be at the side of their Kashmiri brothers and sisters.

Speaking at the occasion, CdA Abbas Sarwar Qureshi stated that the exhibition brought together a collection of striking and thought-provoking photographs, showcasing actual day to day experiences of brave Kashmiris and their struggle for inalienable right to self-determination. Each photograph served as a powerful testimony to the unwavering spirit of Kashmiris fighting Indian atrocities and egregious human rights violations, he added. While urging audience to feel pain and anguish of Kashmiris as reflected in the photos frames, he stated that this exhibition serves as a reminder that the pursuit of fundamental human rights is a shared responsibility, and the world must play its due role in putting an end to the ongoing grave human rights abuses in IIOJK.

CdA Qureshi acknowledged Turkiye’s principled stance on Jammu and Kashmir dispute and thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his continued support to the Kashmir cause at international forums.

The event was well attended by diplomats, civil society, media and general public.

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in 2023

# kashmir

Panel Discussion Held At Institute of Strategic Thinking (SDE), Renowned Thinktank In Ankara To Mark Fourth “Youm-E-Istehsal-E-Kashmir”

January 5, 2024

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT DR. ARIF ALVI ON THE OCCASION OF THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION DAY

Every year, on the 5th of January, we renew our support for the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. On this day in 1949, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) unanimously adopted a resolution affirming the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations.

The right to self-determination is a cardinal principle of international law, upheld in numerous core United Nations Treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. For decades, it has been reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly in its annual resolution on self-determination. However, the last 76 years of India’s occupation of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) are a sad story of repression of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

India is trying to consolidate its occupation of IIOJK. The Indian Supreme Court’s judgement of 11 December 2023 on the status of this disputed territory is the latest step in this direction. India is trying to subjugate the Kashmiris through such oppressive tactics further. It continues to deny their inalienable right to self-determination and live with freedom and dignity.

Today’s commemoration is aimed at reminding the international community of its responsibility towards the oppressed Kashmiri people. The United Nations must honour the commitments that it made 75 years ago and support the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination.

Pakistan remains determined to play its role in supporting the right to self-determination of Kashmiris through a free and impartial plebiscite as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions. Our strong and steadfast moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people will continue till the realisation of this inalienable right.

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The Embassy of

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Ankara, Türkiye