Message by Prime Minister
Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Kashmir Solidarity Day
(5 February 2022)
Today, the people of Pakistan are commemorating the Kashmir Solidarity Day to reaffirm our unwavering support to the Kashmiris in their just struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination.
The Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is an internationally recognized dispute, the resolution of which is firmly anchored in the relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.
The human rights situation in IIOJK has continued to worsen following India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019. The inhuman military siege, which has remained in place for almost two and a half years now, has resulted in the martyrdom of hundreds of Kashmiris.
Indian occupation forces continue to use brute force indiscriminately against Kashmiri men, women, children and the elderly. The Kashmiri youth have been particularly targeted in their campaign of unabated repression. The most oppressive illustrations of this are the use of pellet guns and destruction of entire neighborhoods including collective punishments on communities in IIOJK. The unending killing spree, arbitrary arrests of Kashmiris and human rights defenders, and refusal to hand over the mortal remains of martyrs by Indian occupation forces are a matter of grave concern for people across the world.
India has unleashed the worst form of state-terrorism to break the will of the Kashmiri people and crush their legitimate struggle. The whole Indian state machinery is involved in these unspeakable crimes against humanity. The over 900,000 Indian occupation forces continue to terrorize the Kashmiris through an assault on their distinct identity and culture through illegal demographic changes and economic marginalization.
Indian actions, aimed at converting the Muslim majority in IIOJK into a minority in their own land, are in violation of UNSC resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.
The pattern of ongoing atrocities in IIOJK reflects the anti-peace and anti-Muslim ‘Hindutva’ agenda of extremist RSS-BJP dispensation. India has not reciprocated Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability. Through its machinations, India has destabilized the entire region. India’s illegal and unilateral steps were rejected by Pakistan and the Kashmiris.
Durable peace, security and development in the region hinges on peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. It is imperative that India let the Kashmiris exercise their right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations without further prevarication.
As an ‘Ambassador of Kashmir’, I reassure that Pakistan will continue to extend all possible support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters. It is time for the international community to make India accountable for its heinous crimes in IIOJK and to work towards a just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
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Message from Dr. Arif Alvi
President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
(On the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day on 5th February, 2022)
Today, we pay tribute to the unparalleled commitment of the Kashmiris for the attainment of their legitimate right to self-determination. The entire Pakistani nation stands with Kashmiris. It is our firm belief that the Kashmiris will succeed in their valiant struggle to secure freedom from oppression and illegal occupation.
The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest items on the agenda of the UN Security Council. The dispute remains unresolved due to India’s obstinate refusal to honor its commitments and its disrespect for the fundamental human rights and international law.
For more than seven decades, it has been a battle of hope against overwhelming odds, of courage against fear, and of sacrifice against tyranny; but through all of it, the Kashmiri people have persisted and stood firm in the face of continuing Indian campaign of brutalization which has used every inhuman tactic and draconian laws to perpetuate the illegal occupation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India is using state-terrorism against the Kashmiris including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, fake encounters, staged cordon-and-search operations, custodial torture, enforced disappearances, incarceration of Kashmiri leadership, use of pellet guns, and destruction of houses. Over 900,000 Indian occupation forces have turned IIOJK into an open prison. Yet, the desperation of the RSS-BJP dispensation to control the indigenous Kashmiri movement has completely run aground.
India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 were in blatant violation of international law including UN Charter, 4th Geneva Convention, and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions which stipulate that the final disposition of the state of Jammu and Kashmir will be made in accordance with the will of the people expressed through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. India has embarked on the depopulation of Kashmiri Muslims by confiscating their land and bringing non-Kashmiri to settle in IIOJK. These Indian actions have caused serious damage to peace efforts in an already volatile region. India’s refusal to grant right to self-determination has serious implications for South Asia and beyond.
Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community to take practical steps to hold India accountable for its gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK. A just and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with international legitimacy is the only way to ensure durable peace and development in the region.
We reassure our Kashmiri brothers and sisters that we remain resolute in our principled position on Jammu and Kashmir and will continue to stand with them in their just struggle for self-determination. Pakistan’s ultimate objective is a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per relevant UNSC resolutions in accordance with wishes of the Kashmiri people.
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Message by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Kashmir Solidarity Day
(5 February 2022)
While observing this Kashmir Solidarity Day, we continue to pay homage to the supreme sacrifices of our brothers and sisters in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). We reiterate our unflinching and complete support for their just struggle. This will continue till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.
The endless saga of Indian cruelty is indicative of a consistent pattern of state oppression and atrocities. Indian occupation forces have been brutalizing the Kashmiris with impunity for more than seven decades. History has few parallels of such massive violation of fundamental rights. Over 8 million Kashmiris have been turned into prisoners in their own homes, with more than 900,000 occupation troops holding them hostage. Kashmiri leaders remain incarcerated. Kashmiri youth is being particularly targeted through incarceration at undisclosed locations, indiscriminate use of pellet guns, and extra-judicial killings in staged cordon-and-search operations. Illegal demographic changes in IIOJK are a further violation of international law. Kashmiris’ Muslim majority is being turned into a minority in their own land.
India’s reprehensible treatment of Kashmiri journalists and human rights defenders makes it clear that it would not hesitate to go to any extent for perpetuation of its illegal occupation and hiding its crimes. This manifestation of Indian state-terrorism against the Kashmiris is well-documented by human rights and humanitarian organizations as well as the international media. Pakistan’s recent dossier has extensively documented irrefutable evidence of India’s gross and systematic human rights violations in IIOJK.
India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 were manifestly anti-peace and against international law including the UN Charter, UN Security Council Resolutions, and the 4th Geneva Convention. These measures were rejected by the Kashmiris, Pakistan and the international community.
The continued Indian oppression has only strengthened the will of the Kashmiris to stand firm in their just struggle. India must realize that oppression and systematic violation of fundamental rights cannot break the will of the Kashmiris struggling for their self-determination and freedom from Indian occupation.
Pakistan remains committed to peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people. The vision of durable peace and stability in South Asia will remain unrealized without a just and lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. As the military siege of Kashmir has now spanned over two and a half years, the Kashmiris await attention of those who espouse the cause of human dignity to address their plight.
The international community must demand an end to India’s gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK; reversal of its unilateral and illegal actions of 5 August 2019; repeal of draconian laws; unfettered access to UN-supervised investigations into cases of extrajudicial executions and; implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
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