Photo courtesy PID
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday marked Youm-e-Istehsal (Day of Exploitation) Kashmir by condemning India for undermining the inalienable right of Kashmiris to self-determination.
Pakistan annually marks Youm-e-Istehral to register its protest against India’s unilateral revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status, as enshrined in Article 370.
“Today marks the completion of four years since India deprived Kashmiris of their statehood by unilaterally annexing IIOJK [Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir],” he wrote in a posting on Twitter. “The last four years have represented the culmination of the worst human rights abuses including but not limited to the demographic changes, issuance of fake domiciles, internet shutdown, complete information blackout and imprisonment of Kashmiri leadership of all hues and colors,” he added.
“At the heart of these illegal and immoral measures has been the nefarious attempt by India to alter the internationally recognized status of IIOJK and undermine the Kashmiris’ fundamental right to self-determination,” he continued, emphasizing that Pakistan rejected all such “unilateral and illegal” actions. He maintained that Islamabad would continue to extend its unwavering diplomatic, moral and political support to Kashmiris in their just struggle.
“We call upon India to reverse its post-Aug. 5 actions. History bears witness to the fact that brute force has never succeeded in extinguishing the fire of freedom and rights,” he added.
Also on Saturday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a separate statement, emphasizing that Pakistan’s armed forces stood in solidarity with the brave and resilient people of IIOJK in their struggle for the right to self-determination as per relevant U.N. resolutions. “The continuation of inhumane military lockdown, illegal measures to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory and the gross and systematic transgressions of human rights are all manifest violations of international law,” it said.
Such actions “coupled with the Indian government’s belligerent rhetoric and hostile actions,” it noted, were a continuation of humanitarian and security crises in occupied Kashmir and posed a “perpetual threat to regional security.”
The ISPR said resolving the Kashmir dispute according to U.N. resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people was imperative for enduring peace and stability in the region. “Pakistan armed forces pay rich tribute to the martyrs of IIOJK for their supreme sacrifices and affirm full support of Pakistan for provision of political, moral and humanitarian support to Kashmiris in their just struggle against tyranny and illegal subjugation,” it said.
Separately, President Arif Alvi issued a third statement vowing that Pakistan would continue to serve as the voice of its Kashmiri brothers and sisters and extend its full support for the realization of their legitimate rights. “We have no doubt that durable peace and stability in South Asia can only be achieved through a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he said.
The government marked the occasion with a rally in Islamabad on Saturday morning that expressed solidarity with Kashmiris. Led by Adviser on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, the rally’s participants chanted slogans in support of Pakistan and the Kashmiri people.
Addressing the gathering, Kaira reaffirmed Pakistan’s abiding commitment to Kashmir and urged the international community to fulfil the promises made with Kashmiris for their right to self-determination. He stressed that the incumbent government had raised the Kashmir dispute at all international forums and during bilateral meetings with the leadership of other countries.