TO express unflinching solidarity to Kashmiris, the people and government of Pakistan have been observing Yaum-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir on August 5 since 2019, the date of forced and illegitimate occupation of India on Jammu & Kashmir under article 370 and 35-A.
This somber occasion reminds us of the grave consequences of India’s illegal actions of 5 August 2019 vis-a-vis Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK). On August 5, 2019, India took a series of illegitimate steps to illegally consolidate its occupation of lIOJK. Today, in IIOJK, efforts are being made by Modi-led Indian government to silence the genuine leadership of the Kashmiri people and muzzle the media. Harassment of innocent people, arbitrary detentions and the so-called cordon and search operations have become a matter of routine.
We have no doubt that sustainable peace and stability in South Asia can only be achieved through a peaceful resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. Despite all of India’s massive coercive ways, it has not been able to extinguish their yearning for freedom. India has been trampling upon the rights and aspirations of the Kashmiri people through machinations and intrigue for the last more than seven decades. However, since 5 August 2019, IIOJK has been transformed into an open biggest prison of the world. India’s actions since 5 August 2019 demonstrate complete disregard for international law, the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the UN Security Council resolutions. India would not succeed in suppressing the just struggle of the people of IIOJK through domestic legislation and judicial verdicts.
For the past over seven decades, the Kashmiris have waited for the United Nations to fulfill its solemn commitments. It is crucial that the international community urges India to end its human rights violations in IIOJK and implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Indian actions of August 5, 2019 are a part of their agenda to bring about political and demographic changes in IIOJK as brutal and savage Israel is continuing in Palestine. Despite decades of Indian occupation, the resolve of Kashmiris and immutable bonds to Pakistan stand strong. 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 same like Israeli is doing in Palestine.
The Government of Pakistan has released an updated political map which includes Pakistan’s territorial claims on Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the Siachen Glacier, the eastern banks of Sir Creek as well as Junagarrh and Manavadar in India’s Gujarat region. The map also annotates Ladakh’s boundary with China as “frontier undefined”, whose status would be formalized by “the sovereign authorities concerned after the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.” The map is adopted for official use throughout Pakistan. In 2019 the Imran Khan led PTI government renamed the Kashmir Highway, which runs through Islamabad, as Srinagar Highway. This unjustified, unwise and cosmetic change in the name of Kashmir Highway by former Prime Minister Imran Khan is widely opposed by the people of Pakistan. This particular Srinagar Highway should be reversed with the actual name of Kashmir Highway as Kashmir is internationally known.
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.
Despite fighting three wars with India, Pakistan maintains the stance of peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per UNSC resolutions. Pakistan actively raises the Kashmir issue at the UN, OIC, EU and other international fora and will continue to do so till Kashmiris get their right to self- determination. 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 injustices at the hands of Indian occupying forces. The international community must urge India to halt its egregious human rights violations in IIOJK; reverse its unilateral and illegal actions of 5 August 2019; repeal the draconian laws; and implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan will continue to extend its strong moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiri people till the realization of their inalienable right to self determination.
—The writer is author of several books based in UK.
