Kashmir Solidarity Day: Pakistan Voices Support for Kashmiris Under Indian Occupation

People across Pakistan observed Kashmir Solidarity Day on Thursday, reaffirming unwavering support for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and their right to self-determination as guaranteed by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The day was marked by a public holiday on February 5, with solidarity walks, rallies, and special events held across the country and in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan once again reiterated its commitment to stand by the Kashmiri people in their struggle against Indian occupation.

President Zardari Reaffirms Support

In his message, President Asif Ali Zardari said the people of Pakistan stand united with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters. He recalled that Kashmir Solidarity Day was initiated 36 years ago by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto following the 1989 Kashmiri uprising.

The president paid tribute to the resilience of the Kashmiri people, stating that they have endured nearly eight decades of occupation while making immense sacrifices for their fundamental rights and freedoms.

He expressed serious concern over India’s unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, saying these measures have worsened the situation through restrictions on media freedom, detention of Kashmiri leadership, suppression of digital expression, and attempts to alter the region’s demographic composition.

President Zardari also condemned the profiling of mosques and mosque committees, calling it a deliberate effort to intimidate the Muslim majority and restrict religious freedom.

Referring to India’s military escalation in May 2025, he warned that peace in South Asia remains fragile and stressed that lasting regional stability is impossible without a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Prime Minister Calls for Global Action

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned what he described as grave human rights violations in IIOJK and termed India’s actions of August 5, 2019, a blatant breach of international law.

He urged the international community to play an effective role in ensuring the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices.

Armed Forces Reaffirm Solidarity

Separately, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, on behalf of the Pakistan Armed Forces, reaffirmed unwavering support for the people of IIOJK.

The armed forces strongly condemned extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and demographic changes in the occupied territory, calling them violations of international law.

They stressed that a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions is essential for lasting peace and stability in South Asia, and urged the international community to take concrete steps to ease the suffering of the Kashmiri people.