International order fails to deliver justice to Kashmir & Palestine: Masood Khan

Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Masood Khan said Friday that the post-1945 international system has been fundamentally selective and structurally biased, particularly in its failure to resolve the disputes of Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Feb, 2026) Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Masood Khan said Friday that the post-1945 international system has been fundamentally selective and structurally biased, particularly in its failure to resolve the disputes of Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine.

Addressing an interactive session at the Center for Peace and Security (CIPS) of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Ambassador Masood Khan observed that what is being mourned today as the “erosion” of the international order was, in reality, a system that privileged powerful states while denying weaker nations their legitimate rights.

He remarked that recent crises—from Gaza to other conflict zones—have exposed the fragility and partial application of international law, prompting a global search for a more equitable framework.

Turning specifically to Jammu and Kashmir, Ambassador Khan described the dispute as a prism through which the credibility of the international system can be assessed.

He recalled that the United Nations had committed to ascertain the will of the Kashmiri people through a plebiscite, yet strategic alignments and geopolitical interests prevented implementation.

He emphasized that the events of August 2019 further dismantled the legal and political structure of the occupied territory, intensifying repression and demographic engineering.

Ambassador Khan underscored that while full-scale war is not a viable option in a nuclearized South Asia, Pakistan retains both the moral and legal right to support the Kashmiri people politically and diplomatically.

He stressed the importance of strategic stability, deterrence, and sustained diplomatic engagement to counter unilateral actions and preserve regional balance.

Highlighting the role of civil society, he called for year-round civic activism in global capitals to keep the Kashmir issue alive. “The status quo is a slow poison,” he cautioned, urging citizens and the diaspora to resist complacency and assert their narrative through lawful and peaceful means.

Ambassador Khan also referred to shifting global power dynamics, including the emergence of new centers of influence and intensifying rivalries among major powers. He noted that these transformations create both challenges and opportunities for countries like Pakistan to reposition themselves diplomatically.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s principled stance, he maintained that support for the right of self-determination—whether in Palestine or Kashmir—remains anchored in international law and the United Nations Charter.

He rejected pessimism and called for intellectual leadership, coherent narrative-building, and strategic clarity in advancing Pakistan’s national interests.

“The struggle for justice requires resilience, clarity of purpose, and unity,” Ambassador Masood Khan concluded. “Nations that remain steadfast in their principles ultimately shape the course of history.”