RIYADH: The Pakistani expatriate community held a meeting in Riyadh expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir. They underlined that peace in South Asia will remain elusive till the Kashmir issue is resolved as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.

The UN and international community should play a role to “stop human rights violations in Kashmir by Indian security forces” and hold plebiscite under the auspices of the UN.

“We are committed to continue support to Kashmiris until they achieve their right to self-determination,” they said.

The meeting, held at the Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh, marked Kashmir Solidarity Day, which is commemorated every year throughout Pakistan and at its diplomatic missions abroad.

Pakistan Ambassador Manzoor upl Haq praised the community for its continued attachment with the Kashmir issue. “This jampacked hall of the embassy shows deep attachment of the Pakistani community with Kashmir issue,” he said.

“Kashmir remains a core issue between India and Pakistan,” he said. “Pakistan believes in an amicable solution of the issue and is determined to continue moral, political and diplomatic support of Kashmiris until they get their right to self-determination.”

He expressed sympathy with people of Kashmir where “large-scale human rights violations are committed in the form of killings and political oppression.”

Asif Qureshi reviewed the Kashmir problem and said that according to the partition plan of the Subcontinent, the princely states were given the right to opt for either Pakistan or India. “Kashmir was a Muslim majority state with a 700-mile common border with Pakistan, and moreover people of the state wanted to join Pakistan but India occupied it against the will of the people,” Qureshi said.

Umer Zahoor, a student from Pakistan International School, called for protecting the Islamic identity of the state.

A resolution was presented by Ehsan Danish appealing to the UN and international community to play their role in resolving the Kashmir issue. The resolution appreciated the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Saudi Arabia for their role in highlighting the Kashmir issue at every international forum.

Abdul Karim, Abdul Qayyum, Abdul Qayyum Malik, Faisal Alwi, Fayyaz Ali, Khalid Akram Rana, Khalil Haqqani, Rashid Butt, Sardar M. Razzaq and Ibrahim Taseer also spoke at the event.