Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Zardari called for global action as Kashmir Solidarity Day is being celebrated in the country.

According to the official Radio Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif have urged the international community to pressure India to allow the Kashmiri people to freely decide their future for lasting peace in the region.

In his message on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day today (Wednesday), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted that lasting peace cannot be achieved by suppressing the real aspirations of the local people.The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in a statement quoted the prime minister as saying that recent developments in the Middle East have clearly shown that long-standing conflicts should not be fueled.

He said that the government and the people of Pakistan celebrate Kashmir Solidarity Day every year to renew their unwavering support for the just and legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination.“Every year, the United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution emphasizing the legal right of peoples to decide their own destiny,” the prime minister said, according to a statement from his office.Expressing regret, he said that despite the passage of 78 years, the people of Kashmir have not yet been able to exercise this inalienable right.

“Today, India’s illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world. Kashmiris are living in an atmosphere of fear and terror, highlighted Prime Minister Shehbaz.

Reiterating that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute will remain an important pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy, the prime minister reiterated the country’s unwavering moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination.According to Radio Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari said that the day reminded the international community of its responsibility towards the oppressed Kashmiris.The President said that the United Nations should uphold the promises made to Kashmiris 78 years ago and support their struggle for self-determination.