President, PM assure Kashmiris of 'unwavering' support

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have called upon the international community to exert pressure on India to halt its ongoing human rights abuses in the Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying Pakistan had always expressed its unwavering solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters and it will continue to extend its full moral, diplomatic and political support to them.

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

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

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

"Three generations of Kashmiris have waited for the world, especially the United Nations, to deliver them their 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 the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

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

"This day, I pay my heartfelt tribute to the sacrifices made by the Kashmiri people in their continued struggle for the right to self-determination. Undoubtedly, their sacrifices will not go in vain", he said.

The prime minister said India had been taking successive steps to tighten its grip over IIOJK since 5 August 2019. India's nefarious designs are aimed at undermining the disputed status of IIOJK and denying the Kashmiri people their democratic right to decide their own future.

Today, he said the Kashmiri people were enduring the most egregious and painful curbs on their daily lives and livelihoods.

He said the number of political prisoners remains in the thousands and the Indian occupation forces act with impunity under draconian counterterrorism laws. However, he said these oppressive measures cannot dampen the Kashmiri people's yearning for self-determination.

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