President, PM assure Kashmiris of ‘unwavering’ support.

ISLAMABAD:

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have called on the international community to put pressure on India to stop its ongoing human rights violations in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying Pakistan expressed its always unwavering solidarity with Kashmir. brothers and sisters and will continue to extend full moral, diplomatic and political support to them.

“Pakistan will stand shoulder to shoulder with its brothers and sisters in Kashmir until they achieve their inalienable right to self-determination,” the president said in a message on the occasion of “Kashmir Black Day,” October 27, 2024.

The President said that October 27, 1947 marked a dark chapter in the history of South Asia when India sent troops to occupy Jammu and Kashmir. For decades, the people of IIOJK have endured brutal repression by Indian forces.

The president emphasized that recent developments in the Middle East were a stark reminder that long-standing disputes should not be allowed to fester. Violating international law and sweeping disputes under the carpet does not guarantee lasting peace, he said.

“Three generations of Kashmiris have waited for the world, especially the United Nations, to give them the right to self-determination. The world can no longer ignore its responsibility,” the president added.

In his message, the Prime Minister said on this day 77 years ago, Indian forces landed in Srinagar. India has since stifled the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri people to determine their own destiny. It has failed to fulfill its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

He said that the people of Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have suffered countless hardships for the past seventy-seven years. However, their determination to realize their inalienable right to self-determination remains as firm as it was in 1947.

“On this day, I pay sincere tribute to the sacrifices made by the Kashmiri people in their ongoing struggle for the right to self-determination. Undoubtedly, their sacrifices will not be in vain,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that India has taken successive steps to strengthen its control over the IIOJK since August 5, 2019. India’s nefarious designs are aimed at undermining the disputed status of the IIOJK and denying the Kashmiri people their democratic right to self-determination future.

Today, he said that the people of Kashmir have endured the most egregious and painful limitations on their daily lives and livelihoods.

He said the number of political prisoners remained in the thousands and that Indian occupation forces were acting with impunity under draconian counter-terrorism laws. However, he said these oppressive measures cannot dampen the Kashmiri people’s desire for self-determination.

“As I recently reiterated in my address to the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan has consistently maintained that peace and stability in South Asia remain conditional on the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant resolutions and aspirations of UNSC of Kashmiris. India must realize that it cannot suppress the genuine aspirations of the Kashmiri people through its coercive tactics,” he added.