President Zardari pays tribute on Jammu Martyrs' Day, reaffirms support for Kashmiris

Urges UN action on rights concerns, reaffirms Pakistan's support for Kashmiri self-determination

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday paid tribute to the innocent Kashmiri Muslims massacred in Jammu in November 1947. In his message on Jammu Martyrs' Day, he said Pakistan stood in solidarity with the families whose lives were shattered by violence and displacement.

The president said that 79 years ago, on this day, forces of the Dogra ruler, aided by extremist militias, carried out a systematic campaign of violence against Jammu's Muslim population. Thousands of men, women and children lost their lives, while countless others were forced to abandon their homes and ancestral lands. These atrocities altered the demographic composition of Jammu and left wounds that endured across generations.

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Message from President Asif Ali Zardari on Jammu Martyrs’ Day (Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Jammu), 6 November 2026

On Jammu Martyrs’ Day, we solemnly remember and pay tribute to the innocent Kashmiri Muslims massacred in Jammu in November 1947. We honour their memory and stand in… pic.twitter.com/1UV9gwKd76

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) November 5, 2026

He said the tragedy of November 6, 1947, must never be forgotten.

Referring to recent reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the president said they documented arbitrary detentions, restrictions on peaceful dissent, punitive house demolitions, and suppression of media freedom in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

He said UN human rights experts had also expressed alarm over reports of torture, custodial deaths and collective punishment, adding further that the use of sweeping security laws to silence journalists, human rights defenders and peaceful political voices demanded international attention.

Read: October 27 termed darkest day in IIOJK history

President Zardari said Pakistan was deeply alarmed by the promotion of hatred against Muslims and other religious minorities, as well as hostility towards Pakistan, by right-wing political figures and extremist groups that enjoyed state patronage in India.

He said such rhetoric, particularly in the aftermath of India's humiliating military setback in May 2025, risked fuelling persecution at home and dangerous adventurism abroad.

The president said concerns raised by international human rights organisations and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination must be addressed through accountability and protection for vulnerable communities.

"Thousands of men, women and children lost their lives, while countless others were forced to abandon their homes and ancestral lands. These atrocities altered the demographic composition of Jammu and left wounds that endure across generations. The tragedy of 6 November 1947 must… pic.twitter.com/EJZpYpqRGA

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) November 6, 2026

He said the memory of the Jammu martyrs placed a responsibility upon everyone to resist hatred, defend human dignity and ensure that no people were denied their rights through violence, discrimination or fear.

President Zardari urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to remember the victims of the Jammu massacre and act upon concerns raised by independent human rights organisations and UN human rights mechanisms, and called on India to release all those arbitrarily detained, protect journalists and human rights defenders, end punitive demolitions and collective punishment, and ensure independent investigations into alleged human rights violations.

“The memory of the Jammu martyrs places a responsibility upon us all: to resist hatred, defend human dignity and ensure that no people are denied their rights through violence, discrimination or fear.”
~President Asif Ali Zardari Message On Jammu Martyrs’ Day pic.twitter.com/BGUWMmSv1m

— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) November 6, 2026

He said India must also provide unhindered access to international human rights observers and cooperate fully with relevant UN mechanisms and stressed that India's counter-terrorism narrative could not justify violations of fundamental rights or the punishment of entire families and communities.

Reaffirming Pakistan's principled position on Jammu and Kashmir, President Zardari said the country remained steadfast in its support for the Kashmiri people.

Read more: Leadership hails Kashmir Martyrs’ Day

He said Pakistan would continue to raise the unresolved dispute at every relevant international forum and extend moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people until they were able to exercise their right to self-determination in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.