Human chains, walks mark Kashmir Solidarity Day

Rallies held across country in support of Kashmiris’ right to self-determination

MUZAFFARABAD:

Solidarity walks, rallies, seminars, exhibitions and several other events on Sunday marked the Kashmir Solidarity Day – observed across the country and elsewhere in the world – to reiterate unflinching support for the Kashmiri people in their struggle for the right to self-determination.

The day was also marked to expose the worst ever oppression being perpetrated by the Indian occupation forces against the Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in their just struggle for the implementation of the UN resolutions.

Human chains were formed at Kohala and other important points linking Pakistan and Azad Kashmir on this occasion. Solidarity walks were organized in Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and in four provincial capitals. Several government and private organisations also arranged multiple events to observe the day.

The highlight of the day’s events was the address of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly (AJKLA). Shehbaz also met a delegation of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in Muzaffarabad.

The day united political activists, religious outfits, government officials and members of human rights and civil society organisations in processions and rallies in all parts of the country, drawing the attention of the world community towards the Indian brutalities on the Kashmiris.

Posters, banners and billboards were displayed on important roads, airports, and railway stations to highlight the plight of the Kashmiri people, who had been facing the worst Indian state-terrorism for the last over seven decades.

Adviser to Prime Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira addressed a rally of activists, human rights bodies and civil society members In Islamabad. The participants reaffirmed their pledge to stand by their Kashmiri brethren till the achievement of their right to self-determination.

In Karachi, a solidarity rally was attended by the provincial minister Nasir Hussain Shah and the Sindh police chief. Shah said the Kashmiri people were fighting Indian occupation for seven decades and reiterated that their struggle would soon yield results.

Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz, in their messages on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, urged the international community to take practical steps to hold India accountable for its gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK.

The president, in his message, also called upon India to allow unfettered access to the UN and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) observers, international media and human rights organisations to IIOJK.

In his message, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan's commitment to continue raising its voice at all international platforms to highlight India's barbaric actions in IIOJK. Shehbaz urged India to honour its commitments made to Pakistan, the UN and above all to the Kashmiri people.

Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz said in a tweet that all Pakistanis came together to express their unflinching solidarity and support for Kashmiri brothers and sisters, who remained undeterred by the oppressive Indian occupation apparatus.

“The people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir are waging a relentless struggle of epic proportion to realize their dream of freedom from the Indian yoke… Through their sacrifices, they have kept the torch of freedom burning. It is my faith that their dreams will soon see the light of day.”

In another tweet, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), the three services chiefs and the armed forces of Pakistan paid tribute to the indigenous freedom struggle of brave Kashmiris.

"CJCSC, Services Chiefs and AFs [armed forces] of Pakistan pay tribute to the indigenous freedom struggle of brave Kashmiris for their right to self-determination as per UN resolutions and aspirations of people of Kashmir. No amount of human rights violations and atrocities can suppress the spirit of Kashmiris for freedom", the ISPR said.

(WIN INPUT FROM APP)