Kashmir Solidarity Day 

Amara Malik

The message from Kashmiris in India illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is loud and clear: they want freedom from the brutal Indian occupation and the right to self-determination as promised by the United Nations resolutions.

For more than seven decades, the Kashmiri people have been subjected to unimaginable atrocities, human rights violations, and state-sponsored terrorism by the Indian forces. According to a report by Kashmir Media Service, India has killed half a million Kashmiris, including over 250,000 in the Jammu region, since October 27, 1947, when it invaded the territory in violation of the Partition Plan of the subcontinent. More than 3.5 million Kashmiris have been forced to migrate to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, and other parts of the world due to Indian oppression.

The situation in IIOJK has worsened since August 5, 2019, when India revoked the special status of the territory and imposed a military siege, a communication blackout, and a lockdown that continues to this day. The Indian authorities have arrested thousands of Kashmiris, including political leaders, activists, journalists, and civil society members, and detained them in jails and torture centers across India. The Indian forces have also intensified their cordon and search operations, fake encounters, extrajudicial killings, and pellet firing, resulting in the death, injury, and blinding of hundreds of Kashmiris, especially the youth.

Despite the Indian repression and the international silence, the Kashmiri people have not given up their struggle for freedom and justice. They have shown remarkable resilience, courage, and determination in the face of the Indian tyranny. They have also expressed their solidarity with Pakistan, which has been the most vocal and consistent supporter of the Kashmiri cause at the regional and global forums. On February 5, 2024, Kashmir Day, the Kashmiri people, along with the Pakistani nation, observed a complete strike and staged massive rallies and demonstrations to condemn the Indian occupation and to demand the implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir.

The Kashmir Day also witnessed a display of solidarity from the Pakistan Armed Forces, which paid heartfelt homage to the valiant struggle of the Kashmiri people and reaffirmed their commitment to stand by them till the realization of their legitimate right to self-determination. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Services Chiefs said that the Kashmir issue had to be resolved as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and by the UN resolutions. They also warned India against any misadventure or aggression, saying that Pakistan was fully capable of defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Summing it up, they want freedom from the Indian occupation and the right to self-determination as promised by the UN resolutions. It is urged that the international community, especially the UN, the OIC, and the human rights organizations, take notice of the Indian atrocities and play their role in resolving the Kashmir dispute peacefully and democratically. The Kashmiri people hope that their long and arduous struggle will not go in vain and that they will soon see the dawn of freedom and dignity in their homeland. As it is said, “The night is indeed the darkest before dawn – the heroic struggle for Azadi is destined to succeed, In Shaa Allah.”

Researcher, PolicyEast.