Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and all over the world are observing Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir today to register their protest and defiance against the Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s illegal and fraudulent action taken on this day in 2019.

Youm-e-Istehsal (Day of Exploitation) is observed annually on August 5 to protest India’s revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

This day is marked by various events to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people and condemn the actions of the Indian government.

To mark the day, the people in Pakistan will express solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), reaffirm support for their right to self-determination and condemn India’s unilateral revocation of the region’s special constitutional status on August 5, 2019.

The day marks the anniversary of New Delhi’s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, a move Pakistan maintains was illegal and in violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

Special events are being held across the country to commemorate the occasion.

A central rally is scheduled on Islamabad’s Constitution Avenue, where federal ministers, parliamentarians and people from different walks of life are expected to participate.

Similar rallies and public events are also being organised across all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, while television channels are airing special programmes highlighting the sacrifices of the Kashmiri people and human rights violations in IIOJK.

In separate messages marking the occasion, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the people of Kashmir and paid tribute to their courage, resilience and continued struggle for the right to self-determination.

They said Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir serves as a reminder to the international community of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 2019, adding that the move had neither altered the internationally recognised status of Jammu and Kashmir nor weakened the aspirations of its people.

The president and prime minister reiterated that Pakistan would continue to raise the Kashmir issue at every international forum until the dispute is resolved in accordance with UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

They also urged the international community to press India to end human rights violations in IIOJK and reverse the measures introduced in August 2019.

Separately, the Armed Forces of Pakistan also reaffirmed their steadfast support for the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu reiterated their unwavering solidarity with the people of IIOJK.

The statement said the continued illegal occupation of IIOJK by Indian security forces, marked by military siege, rampant human rights violations and attempts to alter the demographic composition of the territory, remains a matter of serious concern.