History of Kashmir Day

According to Srinagar-based international law expert Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain, Kashmir Day has been observed historically right from 1932, after being first proposed by the then Kashmir Committee.“In the 1930s, the day was observed to express camaraderie with the Kashmiris’ struggle against the autocratic Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh. In present day context, Kashmir Day is being celebrated to show solidarity with the struggle of Kashmiris against India,” Sheikh Showkat says.“Basically, it [Kashmir Day] started from undivided Punjab and it has been celebrated ever since, with pauses in between. This day will continue to hold importance until the Kashmiris achieve their objective of right to self-determination,” he says. The day was revived in the 1970s when in 1975 Kashmir’s then tallest political figure Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah agreed to become Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after an accord was signed on behalf of Sheikh Abdullah by Mirza Mohammad Afzal Beg and on behalf of the Indian government, headed by Indira Gandhi, by G Parthasarathy y ini NewN Delhi.D lhi Following the infamous Sheikh-Indira accord of Feb 1975, Kashmiris had then observed a complete strike on the call of Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to protest against the agreement. Historically, such has been Pakistan’s influence on Kashmir’s political landscape. In 1990, Pakistan’s late Jamaat-i-Islami leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed had proposed that February 5 be observed as Kashmir Solidarity Day in Pakistan.