Islamabad (Web Desk): President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in their legitimate struggle for the right to self-determination.
In their separate messages on the occasion of Kashmir Black Day, observed on Monday, the president and the premier said that October 27, 1947, marks one of the darkest chapters in history when Indian forces illegally entered Jammu and Kashmir, initiating a brutal occupation that continues to this day.
President Zardari said generations of Kashmiris have endured unimaginable suffering under Indian occupation, characterized by violence, repression, and the denial of fundamental rights.
He strongly condemned India’s unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019, aimed at altering the demographic composition of the occupied territory.
The president urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to hold India accountable for grave human rights violations in IIOJK and to ensure the implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions guaranteeing the Kashmiri people their right to self-determination.
PM Shehbaz, in his message, said India continues to deprive the Kashmiri people of their inalienable right to self-determination while enforcing draconian laws, imprisoning Kashmiri leaders, and suppressing freedom of movement and expression.
He noted that Pakistan has consistently raised the issue at international forums, echoing the voices of the Kashmiri people and highlighting their struggle for freedom from Indian occupation.
The prime minister reaffirmed that 240 million Pakistanis stand firmly with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their just cause.
The president and the premier renewed Pakistan’s commitment to providing full moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Kashmiri people until justice is delivered and the promise of self-determination is realized in accordance with international law and UN resolutions.
They emphasized that lasting peace and stability in South Asia remain contingent upon a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.