JULY 19 marked the 77th Youm-e-Ilhaq-e-Pakistan, commemorating the resolution passed on July 19, 1947, by 59 Kashmiri leaders during an emergency session of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, declaring Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan.
The resolution, presented by Khawaja Ghulam-ud-Din Wani and Abdul Rahim Wani, called for Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan based on religious, cultural and geographical grounds. This event led to the Poonch rebellion and the subsequent liberation of Azad Kashmir.
For 77 years, Kashmiris have struggled against Indian occupation. Human rights organizations and international media have repeatedly raised concerns about the situation in Jammu & Kashmir. Over 500,000 Kashmiris have died in the freedom struggle. India has deployed over one million military and paramilitary forces in the region, leading to its description as the largest military cantonment and open-air prison. Pakistan maintains that the Kashmir issue should be resolved according to UN resolutions, which grant Kashmiris the right to self-determination. Despite decades of Indian occupation, the resolve of Kashmiris and their unbreakable bond with Pakistan remain strong. Generation after generation, Kashmiri men, women and children have confronted and resisted Indian occupation, brutality and incarceration.
We mark this day to renew our support for the Kashmiri people in their struggle to translate the idea of accession of the entire Jammu and Kashmir State to Pakistan under the spirit of the historic resolution passed on this day in 1947. Through the resolution, the genuine leadership of Kashmir demands accession of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan, based on the region’s religious, cultural and geographical affinity with Pakistan. This resolution reflects the popular aspiration of the majority Muslim population of Jammu and Kashmir who see their future aligned with Pakistan.
The Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains an unfinished agenda of the 1947 partition. Kashmiris are still deprived of their righat to self-determination and demand a UN-mandated plebiscite, seeking to join Pakistan. The Indian government has deployed hundreds of thousands of troops, turning IIOJK into one of the most militarized zones in the world. India is employing the tactics of settler colonialism and undertaking steps to erase the political, religious and cultural identity of the Kashmiri people to deprive them of their right to self determination. Indian actions of August 5, 2019 are a part of their agenda to bring about political and demographic changes in IIOJK.
Despite fighting three wars with India, Pakistan maintains the stance of peaceful settlement as per UNSC resolutions. Pakistan will continue to provide political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris for their inherent right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan actively raises the Kashmir issue at the UN, OIC, EU and other international fora and will continue to do so until the peaceful achievement of the cause. Pakistan stands in solidarity with the brave Kashmiri people in their historic struggle to materialize their dream to accede to Pakistan despite facing brutal atrocities, discrimination and injustice at the hands of Indian occupying forces.
Pakistan, under the leadership of its founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, has always considered Kashmir the “jugular vein” of the nation. Upholding this vision, Pakistan continues to extend unwavering moral, political, and diplomatic support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their rightful struggle for self-determination, in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The iconic slogan of the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani, “Hum Pakistani hain, Pakistan hamara hai,” continues to resonate powerfully across Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), symbolizing the enduring aspirations of the Kashmiri people. A towering figure in the Kashmiri resistance, Syed Ali Shah Geelani dedicated his life to advocating for Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan. He consistently rejected any form of integration with India, framing the Kashmir issue as both political and humanitarian. Geelani firmly opposed the application of the Indian constitution to the region, viewing India’s presence as an illegal occupation. He believed that the only just resolution lay in granting the Kashmiri people their UN-recognized right to self-determination—one that, in his view, would ultimately lead to Kashmir’s rightful place with Pakistan, given its Muslim-majority character and deep historical ties.
Geelani frequently highlighted the Kashmiri people’s right to decide their future through a plebiscite, a vote to determine whether to join India or Pakistan or remain independent. He rejected offers of greater autonomy within India, viewing them as insufficient to address the core issue of Kashmiri sovereignty. Geelani also emphasized the human rights situation in Kashmir, highlighting the impact of the conflict on the local population and calling for an end to human rights violations. He actively sought international attention and intervention to resolve the Kashmir dispute, believing that a resolution could only be achieved through global pressure on India and Pakistan.
—The writer is author of several books based in UK.
