A United Nations committee has adopted by consensus a Pakistan-sponsored resolution reaffirming the universal and inalienable right to self-determination for peoples living under colonial, foreign and alien occupation a principle Islamabad stressed remains central to the UN Charter and indispensable for the protection of fundamental human rights.
The resolution, jointly supported by 65 member states and presented by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Aamir Iftikhar Ahmad, secured unanimous approval in the General Assembly’s Third Committee on social, humanitarian and cultural matters. Pakistan has tabled this resolution annually since 1981, drawing sustained global attention to peoples whose struggles for self-determination remain unresolved, including Palestinians and Kashmiris.
Expected to be endorsed by the 193-member General Assembly next month, the resolution firmly rejects foreign military intervention, aggression and occupation that obstruct the exercise of self-determination. It calls on states responsible for such actions to halt them immediately and to end all forms of repression, discrimination, exploitation and abuse in affected territories.
Introducing the resolution, Ambassador Aamir Ahmad underlined that millions continue to live under foreign occupation and remain deprived of a foundational freedom recognised under international law. He said their legitimate aspirations are routinely met with excessive force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, communication blackouts and demographic engineering, including the creation of illegal settlements.
He emphasised that the right to self-determination a cornerstone of the United Nations and a defining principle of its Charter is firmly embedded in major human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The resolution reaffirms that the universal realization of the right to self-determination is essential to the effective guarantee and protection of human rights for all peoples, particularly those subjected to colonial or foreign domination. It also condemns military interventions and occupations that have led to the systemic denial of basic freedoms across several regions of the world.
Expressing deep concern over the plight of millions of refugees and displaced persons uprooted by such actions, the resolution reasserts their right to return to their homes voluntarily, in safety and with dignity. It urges the Human Rights Council to give heightened attention to violations arising from foreign military intervention, aggression or occupation. In addition, it requests the UN Secretary-General to submit a comprehensive report on the issue at the next session.
