UNITED NATIONS, 25 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Pakistan has reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory whose final status must be determined through a United Nations-supervised plebiscite reflecting the will of the Kashmiri people. Speaking during an interactive dialogue with UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Professor Nicolas Levrat at the General Assembly’s Third Committee, Pakistani delegate Saima Saleem said the people of Jammu and Kashmir must be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 47 of 1948. She welcomed the Special Rapporteur’s recognition of the distinction between minority rights and the right of peoples to self-determination, highlighting its relevance to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Reaffirming Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to protecting minority rights, Saleem stressed that the principles of equality, non-discrimination and respect for fundamental rights must be upheld universally, consistently and without selectivity. She expressed deep concern over growing discrimination, intolerance, hate speech and violence against minorities worldwide, including Muslim communities, and said the rising incidence of Islamophobia, religious profiling, restrictions on religious freedoms and incitement to hatred required greater international attention and concerted action.