As the nation commemorates ‘Kashmir Black Day,’ marking the 76th anniversary of Indian armed forces’ illegal occupation in Kashmir, President Dr. Arif Alvi and caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar have repeated Pakistan’s steadfast support for the appropriate struggle of the Kashmiri people for the right to self-determination.
Meanwhile, at a weekly press briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson emphasized that the people of Kashmir have never accepted, nor will they ever accept, the illegal occupation of their land or India’s systematic campaign to suppress them through force, which has rendered them a disempowered minority in their own homeland.
The spokesperson reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to providing political, moral, and diplomatic support to “our Kashmiri brothers and sisters until they realize their inherent right to self-determination in accordance with UNSC resolutions.”
She drew parallels between the actions of Israeli occupation forces in Palestine and India’s approach in occupied Kashmir, highlighting the suffering and resilience of both peoples in their pursuit of self-determination.
‘Kashmir Black Day’ symbolizes 76 years of illegal Indian occupation.
The spokesperson noted that, much like the Palestinian people, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are still awaiting the implementation of UNSC resolutions that acknowledge their right to self-determination.
She pointed out that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, rooted in the colonial past, has remained on the UN Security Council’s agenda for over seven decades.
In his message, President Alvi described October 27, 1947, as one of the darkest days in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. He lamented that over the past seventy-six years, India not only failed to fulfill its obligations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir but also disregarded multilateralism by reneging on UNSC resolutions.
Despite enduring countless hardships, the people of occupied Kashmir remain unwavering in their determination to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.
PM Kakar, in his message, observed that over the past 76 years, India has employed various methods to maintain its illegal rule over Kashmir. However, since August 5, 2019, there has been an intensified campaign to ‘Indianize’ Kashmir and disempower the Kashmiri people in their own land.
The Indian occupation has employed several measures to achieve these doubtful aims, including gerrymandering electoral constituencies, adding non-Kashmiris to voter rolls, issuing domicile certificates to outsiders, and endorsing new laws regarding land and property ownership.
These undemocratic and illegal actions directly break relevant UNSC resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Presently, occupied Kashmir remains one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world.
The Prime Minister emphasized that recent developments in the Middle East have shown that long-standing disputes should not be allowed to persist, underscoring the pressing need to address the Kashmir issue and facilitate a just and lasting solution.
