NEW YORK: Pakistan has called for a settlement of the decades-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan for establishing lasting peace in the region.

The call was made by Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi while speaking at a debate on Right to Self-Determination in a UN General Assembly’s third committee.

She said Kashmiris’ struggle for liberation from illegal occupation is “legitimate” and they have the right to receive moral and political support from the international community. She said peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.