ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution marking the sixth anniversary of India’s revocation of Article 370, reiterating Pakistan’s longstanding position that Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) remains an “international dispute” and that the right of Kashmiris to self-determination is non-negotiable.
The resolution, jointly presented by Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam in Urdu and Shazia Marri in English, asserted that IIOJK is not an internal matter of India, but a pending issue on the global stage that warrants urgent attention in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
The House minced no words in condemning India’s illegal, unilateral and morally indefensible actions of August 5, 2019, which it insisted were designed to alter the internationally-recognised status of IIOJK – a move it said violated both international law and the will of the Kashmiri people.
“This House reiterates that Jammu and Kashmir is an international dispute and Pakistan will never compromise on the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination as guaranteed under international law and UN resolutions,” said the resolution.
The House declared August 5 as a ‘Black Day’, describing it as the onset of a siege that has led to gross human rights violations and the denial of fundamental freedoms in IIOJK.
The resolution strongly condemned New Delhi for demographic engineering, political persecution, media blackouts, and the use of collective punishment in Kashmir – all in breach, it said, of the Geneva Conventions.
It warned that no unilateral action by India could alter the disputed nature of the region, which remains on the UN’s active agenda. “The voices of Kashmiris cannot be silenced by force, censorship, or occupation,” the resolution stated. “Such acts are not peace – they are tyranny.”
In an emotional crescendo, the House proclaimed that from Srinagar to Islamabad, the heart beats as one for Kashmir, vowing continued political, moral, and diplomatic support.
The resolution also characterised the Kashmir issue as the “unfinished agenda of the partition” of the subcontinent.
Adding to the chorus, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar paid homage to the late Hurriyat leader late Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shaheed Kashmiri resistance leader Burhan Wani, describing them as symbols of the “indigenous freedom movement.” He accused India of deploying oppressive tactics to crush what he maintained was a home grown struggle.
Minister for Health Services and Regulations Mustafa Kamal echoed this sentiment, condemning brutalities in Kashmir and asserting that Pakistan’s political spectrum remains united on the issue.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, while veering into foreign policy, announced new travel arrangements for Zaireen (religious pilgrims) visiting Iran and Iraq.
He said flights from Quetta would be expanded to reduce the security risks of road travel. “We are in talks with the Iranian government, and private airlines have also been offered to facilitate pilgrims during Arbaeen,” he noted.
Meanwhile, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry, in a bid to dispel circulating rumours, clarified that there would be no fresh military operation in Bajaur.
However, he made it clear that both security operations and non-military counterterrorism measures under the National Action Plan (NAP) would continue.
He urged political leaderships in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to support security forces beyond political lines in combating the menace of terrorism and militancy.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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