President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s full solidarity with the people of Kashmir and their right to self-determination on the occasion of the Kashmir Solidarity Day.
In their messages on the occasion, the president and the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast moral, diplomatic and political support for the Kashmiri people, reaffirming their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions
In his message, the president said that Pakistanis across the world are expressing their unwavering support for the Kashmiri people.
He described the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as a matter of grave concern for the global conscience, stating that since August 5, 2019, India has intensified efforts to consolidate its occupation and accelerate human rights violations in the region.
The president also highlighted grave human rights violations by Indian occupation forces, citing international reports that point to a rise in arbitrary detentions, collective punishment and punitive house demolitions.
He added that the suppression of digital freedoms, including the blocking of thousands of social media accounts, reflected attempts to conceal the realities on the ground.
Referring to the recent profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in IIOJK, President Zardari termed these actions as deliberate intimidation aimed at restricting the religious freedom of the Muslim majority population.
He said such measures were part of a broader pattern of religious persecution and stressed that Kashmiris have an inalienable right to practice their religion without fear or discrimination.
He urged the international community to hold India accountable and compel it to halt human rights violations.
Reiterating Pakistan’s stance, the president said the country stands shoulder to shoulder with the Kashmiri people.
President Zardari also recalled that the formal observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day was initiated in 1989 by Benazir Bhutto.
He paid tribute to the courage, resilience, and steadfastness of the Kashmiri people, who have been resisting Indian occupation for nearly eight decades.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Kashmir Solidarity Day is observed to reaffirm unwavering support for the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
In a message, he said that the Kashmir dispute is one of the long-standing unresolved issues on the United Nations agenda, and that due to India’s intransigence, the Kashmiri people have been deprived of their fundamental rights for decades.
The prime minister said that multiple UN Security Council resolutions recognise Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory.
He added that IIOJK remains a hub of repression and grave human rights violations, and that the actions taken by India on August 5, 2019, were aimed at strengthening its illegal control over the region in violation of UN resolutions and the Geneva Conventions.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed that Pakistan will continue to provide full moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Kashmiri people in their just struggle.
On the solemn occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of the Naval Staff; and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, on behalf of Pakistan’s armed forces, reaffirm their unwavering support for the resilient people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in their epic struggle for self-determination.
The Pakistan Armed Forces strongly condemned grave violations of human rights in IIOJK, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and attempts to alter the demographic and political landscape of the region, with blatant disregard for international law, according to a statement issued by the ISPR.
The armed forces reiterated that a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, remains essential for lasting peace and stability in South Asia.
The international community must take concrete and meaningful action to alleviate the suffering of the Kashmiri people, the statement added.
The Armed Forces of Pakistan remain steadfast in their duty to safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and unwavering in their solidarity with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their rightful quest for freedom and dignity.
