ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Com­­mittee on Kashmir Chair­man Rana Mu­ha­mmad Qasim Noon on Tuesday said that the Kash­mir issue remains the unfinished age­nda of the partition of the subcontinent.

Chairing a meeting of the parliamentary committee, he said the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accor­dance with United Nations Security Council resolutions is imperative. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been denied their right to self-determination for over seven decades.

The chairman stres­sed that a unified narrative involving youth, intellectuals, and media is essential to effectively highlight the Kashmir issue at the international level.

He stressed the need to promote research, top quality education and academic excellence in the universities of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and called for inc­l­usion of Kashmir studies, Kash­m­­iri culture, and the freedom mo­­vement of Jammu and Kash­mir in the national curriculum.

Qasim Noon stresses need for promoting research, top quality education in AJK universities

He further said that the establishment of technical and vocational institutions in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is the pressing need of the time and that youth awareness is vital for shaping global public opinion on the Kashmir issue.

Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Faisal Mumtaz Rath­ore laud­­ed the performance of the parliamentary committee on Kashmir and said that the Ka­­shmiri people are fully aw­­are of the challenges confronting them.

He condemned grave human rights violations being committed by India in held Kashmir.

Speaking on the occasion, Speaker of AJK Legislative Assembly, Chaud­hry Latif Akbar, reaffirmed that Pakistan has consistently raised its voice at international forums in support of the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.

He condemned the continued bloodshed of innocent Kashmiris by Indian occupying forces and emphasised that Kashmir rem­a­ins the central pillar of Pakistan’s national and foreign policy.

He also stressed the inclusion of Kashmiri language, culture, and heritage in the education curriculum.

The Acting President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir highlighted the importance of federal gover­n­­ment support to ensure the fina­ncial sustainability of universities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister of Azad Jam­mu and Kashmir, Faisal Mum­taz Rathore, Acting President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Speaker of the AJK Legislative Assembly, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, federal ministers, senators, members of the National Assembly, and vice chancellors of universities of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2025