Jammu Martyrs’ Day: Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar Federal Minister, Ministry of Human Rights

Today, we solemnly observe Youm-e-Shuhada Jammu, the Martyrs’ Day of Jammu, to honour the memory of those who were mercilessly massacred in October and November 1947 by the Dogra forces, aided by extremist militias inspired by the RSS ideology.

This tragedy stands as one of the largest genocides in South Asian history, unfolding within just two months. Historians have described it as one of the darkest chapters of the twentieth century. The world remembers events like 9/11 and the atrocities of Nazi Germany, yet continues to overlook the mass killing of over 250,000 innocent Muslims in Jammu, whose only crime was their faith and their aspiration for freedom.

This was not an isolated incident. It was a state-sponsored campaign of ethnic cleansing, deliberately designed to alter the demographic composition of Jammu and Kashmir. More than half a million people were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in Pakistan. Entire communities were wiped out in a systematic attempt to silence their identity and their struggle for self-determination.

Seventy-seven years later, that story of injustice continues. Following the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A in 2019, India has stripped the region of its special status and imposed direct control from New Delhi. Land and property laws have been rewritten, non-local settlement schemes introduced, and development projects like Srinagar 2035 launched, all aimed at changing the Muslim-majority character of the region and suppressing the Kashmiri voice.

Pakistan stands firm with the Kashmiri people in their just and legitimate struggle for self-determination, the cause for which the martyrs of Jammu laid down their lives. Their sacrifice reminds us that truth cannot be silenced, nor can justice be denied forever. It strengthens our collective resolve to uphold the principles of justice, peace, and freedom, and to ensure a future where the people of Jammu and Kashmir live free from fear and oppression.

Pakistan stands with them yesterday, today, and always.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025