ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top leadership on Tuesday reaffirmed the country's support for the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir as the nation observed Kashmir Black Day, marking the anniversary of the arrival of Indian forces in Srinagar on Oct. 27, 1947.
In a statement issued on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the arrival of Indian forces in Srinagar 79 years ago marked the beginning of a "tragic chapter" in the history of Jammu and Kashmir that continued to cast a long shadow over the region.
He expressed deep concern over the prolonged incarceration of Kashmiri political leaders, activists and human rights defenders.
"Pakistan's position on Jammu and Kashmir remains clear, consistent and principled," he said, adding that lasting peace and stability in South Asia could not be achieved without a just and peaceful resolution of the dispute in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Paying tribute to the sacrifices of the Kashmiri people, Sharif said countless men, women and children had made immense sacrifices in pursuit of their rights, adding that their memory would always be honored.
He reaffirmed the government and people of Pakistan's unwavering solidarity with the people of occupied Kashmir.
According to a statement issued by the Presidency, President Asif Ali Zardari said the people of IIOJK had endured decades of conflict, restrictions and denial of their fundamental rights since Oct. 27, 1947.
He said continuing restrictions on fundamental freedoms, heightened militarization, arrests and reports of human rights violations remained a matter of serious concern and underscored the need for sustained international attention.
In his message, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the people of IIOJK continued to be deprived of their fundamental rights under Indian occupation, nearly eight decades after Indian forces entered Srinagar.
He said the Kashmiri people's struggle for the right to self-determination, recognized by the United Nations, remained unfinished, adding that Pakistan stood firmly with them in their pursuit of freedom, dignity and the right to determine their own future.
Dar added that India's unilateral measures of Aug. 5, 2019, had further aggravated the situation in the disputed territory, intensified the suffering of its people and could not alter the occupied region's disputed status.
He called on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities toward the Kashmiri people, take sustained notice of the human rights situation in IIOJK and urge India to end rights violations and allow them to exercise their right to self-determination.
He paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Kashmiri people and reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to extending them political, diplomatic and moral support.
Dar said a just, peaceful and lasting resolution of the dispute in accordance with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people was essential for peace and stability in South Asia. He added that the dispute could not be resolved through unilateral actions or the use of force.
