Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged New Delhi to move from “dispute denial to dispute resolution” to achieve lasting peace in South Asia as Pakistan observed Youm-i-Istehsal, the day when India revoked the special status of occupied Kashmir in its constitution.

“Pakistan would continue to extend its strong moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people till the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination,” he said in a statement shared by Radio Pakistan.

Youm-i-Istehsal is observed to show solidarity with the people of Kashmir. The day commemorates the August 5, 2019 decision by India’s Narendra Modi-led government to strip the Muslim-majority territory of its special status by repealing Article 370 of its constitution.

The controversial move allowed people from the rest of India to acquire property and settle permanently in India Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which Kashmiris and critics of India’s Hindu nationalist government saw as an attempt to alter the region’s demographics.

In response to India’s actions, the Government of Pakistan designated August 5 as Youm-i-Istehsal, starting in 2020.

In a post on X, PM Shehbaz reiterated his “unwavering solidarity” with Kashmiris and highlighted that their right to self-determination had been mandated by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The premier called on the international community to “make efforts to ensure justice and peace in the region”.

In a separate statement, President Asif Ali Zardari said that India’s actions in occupied Kashmir since August 5, 2019, had demonstrated a “complete disregard for international laws and the aspirations of Kashmiris.”

“Today marks the completion of five years of India’s latest campaign to consolidate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir,” Zardari said.

India’s “unilateral and unlawful steps” five years ago undermined the region’s “internationally recognised disputed status”, he asserted.

A one-minute silence was observed at 9am and the national anthems of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) were also played, the state-run agency said.

Protest gatherings and rallies were organised AJK’s capital Muzaffarabad by the Kashmir Liberation Commission, Hurriyat organisations, trade unions, political parties, the journalist community, and civil society. Banners, placards, and posters were displayed across AJK while documentaries were screened in major cities of the region.

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Separately, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the services chiefs and the Pakistan Armed Forces also reaffirmed their “steadfast solidarity with the courageous and resilient people” of IIOJK, the military’s media wing said.

“We unequivocally support their legitimate and protracted struggle for the inalienable right to self-determination,” the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.