As the nation marks five years since India revoked the special autonomy of occupied Kashmir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on New Delhi to move from “dispute denial to dispute resolution” for lasting peace in South Asia.
Pakistan is observing Youm-i-Istehsal (Exploitation Day) today to mark the fifth anniversary of India revoking Kashmir’s special autonomy and to show solidarity with Kashmiris.
On August 5, 2019, India’s Narendra Modi-led government stripped the Muslim-majority territory of its special status by repealing Article 370 of the constitution, splitting the former state into two territories directly ruled by New Delhi.
The move allowed people from the rest of India to acquire property in India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) and settle there permanently. Kashmiris, as well as critics of India’s Hindu nationalist-led government, saw the move as an attempt to dilute the demographics of Muslim-majority Kashmir with Hindu settlers.
In response to the controversial move, the Government of Pakistan designated August 5 as Youm-i-Istehsal, starting in 2020. This day is now observed annually in Pakistan as a reaction to the status change.
In December last year, India’s Supreme Court unanimously upheld the 2019 order and ruled that IoK’s special status was a temporary provision.
PM Shehbaz said today that “India must move from dispute denial to dispute resolution” in the interest of lasting peace and security in South Asia, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
He vowed that Pakistan would continue to extend its strong moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people till the realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination.
Shehbaz also posted on X, reiterating his “unwavering solidarity” with Kashmiris and highlighting that their right to self-determination had been mandated by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
The premier called on the international community to “make efforts to ensure justice and peace in the region”.
In his statement, President Asif Ali Zardari had said India’s actions in occupied Kashmir since August 5, 2019, demonstrated a complete disregard for international laws and the aspirations of Kashmiris.
A one-minute silence was observed at 9am and the national anthems of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) were also played, Radio Pakistan reported.
It further said that protest gatherings and rallies have been called in AJK’s capital Muzaffarabad by the Kashmir Liberation Commission, Hurriyat organisations, trade unions, political parties, the journalist community, and civil society.
Banners, placards, and posters have been displayed across AJK while documentaries would be screened in major cities of the region.
In the morning, a rally was held at Constitution Avenue in Islamabad to protest against the Indian government’s revocation of IoK’s special status, Radio Pakistan reported.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Amir Muqam, the minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, among others, addressed the rally.
Ishaq Dar speaks in Islamabad. — Radio Pakistan
Dar said that if India considered itself a champion of democracy, then it should let foreign observers access IoK to “assess the atrocities being perpetrated” by the Indian forces, Radio Pakistan stated.
It quoted the deputy PM as saying that India could not suppress the freedom movement of Kashmiris and should announce holding a plebiscite.
A special session of the AJK Legislative Assembly has also been summoned to mark the occasion, Radio Pakistan reported.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the revocation of IoK’s special status was “unacceptable”, adding that Pakistan was “in favour of regional peace and stability”.
“The old status of Kashmir should be restored by ending the unlawful action of Aug 5, [2019],” he said in a statement shared by PTV News.
