Pakistan somberly observes Kashmir Solidarity Day, raises human rights alarm

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s political leadership marked Kashmir Solidarity Day with somber reflections on the plight of the Kashmiri people, reiterating support for their right to self-determination and raising concerns over what they described as continuing human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir.

President Asif Ali Zardari said the Kashmiri people must be granted the right to decide their future in accordance with United Nations resolutions, calling the situation in Kashmir a “serious challenge to the global conscience.” He said India had further consolidated its control over the region through the measures taken on August 5, 2019, and warned that peace and stability in South Asia would remain elusive without a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

The president expressed concern over ongoing arrests of Kashmiri political leaders, restrictions on media, and limits on digital freedoms, describing them as attempts to suppress information from the region. He also criticised the demolition of homes and the monitoring of mosques and religious institutions, terming these actions reflective of religious discrimination. Reiterating that Kashmiris have an inalienable right to religious freedom, President Zardari urged the international community to press India to halt alleged human rights abuses. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to standing by the Kashmiri people.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his message, paid tribute to what he called the courage, perseverance, and sacrifices of the Kashmiri people. He described the Kashmir dispute as one of the longest unresolved issues on the agenda of the United Nations and said that, due to India’s policies, Kashmiris continue to be deprived of their fundamental rights. According to the prime minister, arbitrary political detentions and administrative measures introduced since August 5, 2019, were aimed at tightening control over occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The prime minister also expressed concern over what he described as serious violations of religious freedom, including the monitoring of mosques and their administrative bodies, and alleged that these actions were influenced by extremist ideology. He said that despite decades of oppression, the Kashmiri people had not relinquished their aspirations and pledged that Pakistan would continue to advocate their right to self-determination at all international forums, including the United Nations.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi echoed these sentiments, expressing solidarity with the Kashmiri people and saluting their long struggle and sacrifices. He said the people of occupied Kashmir had shown enduring resistance despite oppression and prolonged security measures, adding that global silence in the face of their suffering amounted to a moral failure. The interior minister noted that UN resolutions continue to affirm the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and stressed that lasting peace in the region is not possible without resolving the Kashmir issue.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s position, Naqvi said the country would continue to raise its voice for the legitimate rights of the Kashmiri people at every international forum, expressing hope that their sacrifices would not be in vain and that freedom would one day be realised.