Malik M. Ashraf
On Thursday, 5 February, the Pakistani nation and the Kashmiri diaspora all over the world observed Kashmir Solidarity Day with the people of IIOJ&K. Rallies were taken out highlighting the atrocities committed by the Indian security forces since 1989. The National Assembly also passed a resolution urging the international community, including the United Nations, to play its due and effective role in resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. It called upon the world community to force India to immediately end human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, lift all repressive measures, release all political prisoners, and allow unhindered access to international human rights organisations and observers.
Indian security forces have been using ruthless force to suppress the freedom struggle of the people of Indian-Occupied Kashmir, which they launched in 1989 after having been frustrated by Indian intransigence over granting them the right of self-determination. According to reports compiled by human rights organisations and other authentic sources, since then 96,290 Kashmiris have been killed till December 2025, nearly 11,500 women have been either gang-raped or molested, and 110,550 houses have been destroyed.
The history of the freedom struggle is replete with innumerable incidents of bestiality committed by the Indian security forces. However, none of them can be compared to the brutality and callousness exhibited by them on 21 January 1990, when they resorted to indiscriminate firing on demonstrators in Srinagar who were protesting the molestation and rape of Kashmiri women at the hands of Indian security personnel, killing 55 people and injuring dozens. The incident revived memories of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar and justifiably caused severe outrage and resentment in Occupied Kashmir, throughout Pakistan, and among the Kashmiri community the world over. Consequently, a complete strike was observed in Pakistan on 5 February 1990 to protest against this dastardly act by Indian troops. Since then, 5 February is observed as Kashmir Solidarity Day in Pakistan and by the Kashmiri diaspora around the world.
The observance of Solidarity Day is meant to reassure the people of occupied Kashmir that Pakistan has an abiding and unswerving commitment to support their cause and stands by them under all circumstances. It also aims to remind the UN and the world community of their obligations towards the people of Kashmir and to reiterate the fact that apathy towards their sufferings could have disastrous consequences for regional and world peace. Another objective is to send a clear message to India that no amount of oppression and persecution can keep the people of Kashmir under subjugation for long or prevent the inevitable.
The observance of Solidarity Day has assumed greater significance in the backdrop of India’s move to change the special status of IIOJ&K, its bifurcation into two regions, and their declaration as part of the Indian Union, virtually nullifying UN resolutions. Steps have also been taken to change the demographic features of the state. Reportedly, more than 500 Kashmiris have been killed since 5 August 2019 in cordon and search operations to subdue resistance by the local population.
India is in the grip of proponents of the supremacist philosophy of Hindutva, headed by Narendra Modi, who by revoking the special status of Indian-Occupied Kashmir and making it part of the Indian Union has created a very dangerous situation, posing a grave threat to peace and security in the region. He has not only ended the special status of Indian-Occupied Kashmir but has also adopted a belligerent posture towards Pakistan. Modi is a cunning and callous enemy who can go to any extent to achieve his nefarious designs premised on the RSS ideology of Hindutva. He has been using false flag operations to find excuses to commit hostility against Pakistan.
Modi has not only tried to change the demographic realities in Indian-Occupied Kashmir but has also turned India into a majoritarian state by adopting anti-Muslim policies. The promulgation of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens in West Bengal are glaring testimonies of this reality. The current wave of demolishing historic mosques and building temples in their place speaks for itself about the anti-Muslim bias of the Modi government.
Continuation of tensions and the possibility of yet another war between Pakistan and India cannot be eliminated until the Kashmir dispute is resolved in consonance with UN resolutions. The people of Kashmir are undeterred by Indian atrocities and are continuing their struggle for freedom. Their resistance and freedom movement continues notwithstanding the brutalities perpetrated against them by Indian security forces. Indian machinations have not been able to subdue their urge for independence, and they will not relent until they are allowed to decide their own fate as per UN resolutions.
India is holding Kashmir against the will of its people, and its stance on the issue has no moral or legal basis. History bears witness to the fact that freedom struggles cannot be subdued through the barrel of a gun. Pakistan, which is a party to the Kashmir dispute, will not allow India to get away with its illegal occupation of Indian-Occupied Kashmir and its annexation to the Indian Union in defiance of UN resolutions.
The illegal occupation of IIOJ&K by India and the actions taken since August 2019 are an affront to the international community and the UN. Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint. Before any miscalculation triggers catastrophic consequences, India must be stopped in its tracks and pressured to fulfil its obligations in conformity with UN resolutions.
The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com
