Black Day Kashmir: Engr. Amir Muqam, Minister of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and States and Frontier Regions

Today, as we commemorate the 78th Kashmir Black Day, our prayers are with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters who have faced decades of injustice and oppression at the hands of Indian forces.

On this day in 1947, the Indian forces entered Srinagar and illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have been denied their promised right to self-determination.

For seventy-eight long years, the people of IIOJK have endured immense hardships at the hands of the Indian authorities. However, they have never allowed their resolve to be broken, and they remain steadfast in their demand for their right to self-determination. Their decades long resilience is a powerful reminder to the world that no force can erase the legitimate aspirations of people.

The United Nations Security Council resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute clearly recognize the right of the Kashmiri people to decide their own future through a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices. These resolutions remain binding and valid. It is the responsibility of the international community to ensure that these commitments are honoured and that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are allowed to exercise this right.

Since 5 August 2019, India has made new attempts to tighten its grasp over IIOJK. From attempting to alter the demographic composition to silencing the true Kashmiri leadership, Indian authorities have sought to undermine the very existence of Kashmiri identity. Moreover, the Indian authorities rely on draconian laws that give them unchecked powers to arrest, kill, and demolish property in IIOJK without accountability.

This repressive framework was brought to light once again after the Pahalgam Attack of 22 April 2025 when Indian forces launched a sweeping crackdown across IIOJK. Thousands of Kashmiris were arrested or interrogated, and entire homes were reduced to rubble. The crackdown was not limited to IIOJK as Kashmiri students studying in different parts of India became targets of intimidation and violence.

On this day, the Government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters. Their pain is our pain, and their fight is our fight. We will continue to support them politically, morally, and diplomatically until their right to self-determination is fulfilled. Pakistan hopes that one day peace and justice will prevail for the people of Kashmir and that South Asia will move towards stability through a fair resolution of this long-standing dispute.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025