Observing Kashmir Solidarity Day

THE beginning of the year marks the observation of Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5. It pays tribute to a solemn oath to the Kashmiri brethren’s in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) in their quest for attaining their Rights of Freedom and Self determination from the Indian occupied forces.

India to this date has resorted to the worst state terrorism and it continues its illegal hold on Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian troops and police personnel enjoy unbridled powers under draconian laws and have committed war crimes with impunity in the occupied territory to suppress the Kashmiris’ just struggle for securing their inalienable right to self-determination.

The Indian forces have martyred 95,925 innocent Kashmiris including 7,215 in custody from January 1989 till December 10, 2021. It said that these killings rendered 22,939 women widowed and 107,855 children orphaned. The report said that the troops molested or disgraced 11,246 women and damaged 110,445 residential houses and other structures.

The Indian atrocities in IIOJK witnessed an alarming upsurge on August 5, 2019, when India — after Prime Minister Modi regime — in an illegal, unilateral and unconstitutional move aimed at altering the internationally recognized disputed status of IIOJK and changing the demographic structure of the occupied territory. This demographic apartheid in IIOJK by Indian Occupation Forces is a further violation of international law wherein the Kashmiris majority is being turned into a minority in its own land.

These measures are a constant reminder to the world community of India’s State-terrorism — being perpetrated day in and day out against innocent Kashmiri men, women and children.

On February 5 every year, Pakistan again calls upon the international community to hold India accountable for all the crimes it has perpetrated against humanity. India must rescind its unilateral and illegal actions and stop implementing the RSS-inspired “Hindutva” agenda in IIOK that is detrimental to peace and security in the region. The key to durable peace in South Asia is the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

The world must ensure that the Kashmiris get their long-due inherent right to self-determination and freedom.