Kashmir Day: Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister

As we observe the Kashmir Solidarity Day today, Pakistan reiterates its firm and unwavering support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for the right to self-determination. Under illegal Indian occupation, the Kashmiri people remain deprived of their fundamental rights. Yet, their resilience testifies the legitimacy of their just cause.

At the heart of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute lies India’s failure to implement the United Nations Security Council resolutions guaranteeing the Kashmiri people a free and impartial plebiscite. India’s persistent defiance undermines the United Nations Charter, the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The situation on the ground in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has moved beyond episodic violations to a sustained system of repression. Since the unilateral and illegal actions of 5 August 2019, India has dismantled legal safeguards, weakened local institutions, and imposed measures aimed at consolidating its permanent occupation of the disputed territory, including artificially altering the demographic composition to change Muslim majority into minority, forcing media to follow the official line, and criminalizing any form of dissent. Under the Hindutva-driven framework, people in IIOJK face constant discrimination. The recent profiling of mosques in IIOJK where religious functionaries are forced to give their personal details, photographs and sectarian affiliations show the extent of institutionalized Islamophobia.

Grave human rights violations including fake encounters, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and restrictions on fundamental freedoms continue unabated. UN experts have recently noted the arbitrary detention of nearly 2,800 individuals, including journalists, students, and human rights defenders.

We urge the international community to take decisive actions to address the worsening human rights situation in IIOJK, ensure accountability for India’s illegal and unilateral actions, persuade India to implement the United Nations Security Council resolutions and allow the Kashmiri people their promised right to self-determination.

Pakistan will continue to stand with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters politically, morally and diplomatically. Our efforts will remain focused on securing a peaceful and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

“Kashmir Pakistan Ke Sheh Rag Hai” - Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026