ISLAMABAD: On the occasion of Kashmir Black Day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kashmiri people and called on the international community to take meaningful action against India’s continued occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
In his message, Dar recalled the events of October 27, 1947, describing it as a dark chapter when Indian forces landed in Srinagar to enforce what he termed as the illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. For the past seventy-eight years, he said, the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have endured systematic tyranny and repression at the hands of Indian occupation forces.
He emphasized that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had clearly stated in its resolutions that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir must be determined through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN supervision. However, he said, India has consistently defied these binding resolutions, choosing instead to strengthen its control over the occupied territory through force and coercion.
Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the sanctity of UNSC resolutions and highlighted the importance of the international community’s role in securing a fair and lasting resolution to the dispute.
He noted that the human tragedy in IIOJK has deepened since India’s unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019, which revoked the region’s special status. He said these moves, coupled with the imposition of harsh laws, demographic changes through mass issuance of domiciles to non-residents, and the imprisonment of Kashmiri leaders, reflect India’s disregard for the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions, and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Referring to the aftermath of the Pahalgam Attack, the Deputy Prime Minister said Indian authorities launched another sweeping crackdown in IIOJK, detaining thousands of Kashmiris arbitrarily and demolishing homes of innocent residents. He said these incidents add to India’s long record of human rights violations documented by UN bodies and global human rights organizations.
Despite such repression, Dar said, the people of IIOJK have continued their struggle with remarkable resilience and dignity, steadfast in their pursuit of the right to self-determination.
He added that recent hostilities between Pakistan and India underscore how New Delhi’s intransigence on the Kashmir dispute threatens regional peace and stability. Dar urged that the issue be resolved peacefully in accordance with UN resolutions to ensure lasting peace in South Asia.
On this day, he appealed to the international community to help end the suffering of the Kashmiri people, stating that their plight demands both attention and concrete action. Pakistan, he concluded, will continue to extend its political, moral, and diplomatic support to Kashmiris and raise the issue at every international platform until their right to self-determination is realized.
