Syed Imran Sardar
Every year on 5 February, Pakistan observes Kashmir Solidarity Day to reaffirm its unwavering political, moral, and diplomatic support for the just struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their internationally recognized right to self-determination. As the nation prepares to commemorate this day in 2026, the Kashmir dispute remains one of the longest-standing and most tragic unresolved issues on the agenda of the United Nations, symbolizing not only a denied right but also an unfinished agenda of the subcontinent’s partition.
The State of Jammu and Kashmir fell under Indian occupation on 27 October 1947, when Indian troops invaded the region in clear violation of the principles governing the partition of British India. According to the agreed partition formula, Muslim-majority areas were to accede to Pakistan, while Hindu-majority regions would form India. Jammu and Kashmir, being overwhelmingly Muslim in population and geographically, culturally, and historically linked with Pakistan, naturally qualified for accession to Pakistan. Yet, through political manipulation and the connivance of the British and the Indian National Congress, this agreement was violated, denying the Kashmiri people their right to decide their future.
Since then, the Kashmiri struggle has continued as a movement for their rights of self-determination, drawing ideological inspiration from the Pakistan Movement of 1940. This historical continuity firmly qualifies Pakistan’s principled stance that Kashmir represents an incomplete partition rather than a bilateral territorial dispute. United Nations Security Council resolutions explicitly recognize the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir and affirm the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite, but unfortunately that commitment remain unfulfilled to this day.
Since the occupation, the situation has never been normal in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). But the situation started worsening, when India in 1989, intensified its military crackdown in IIOJK. Since then, over 96,000 Kashmiris have been martyred, around 180,000 arrested, more than 108,000 children orphaned, 22,000 women widowed, and over 11,000 women subjected to sexual violence. Despite the presence of nearly one million occupation forces and the enforcement of draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Public Safety Act (PSA), and the Disturbed Areas Act, India has failed to extinguish the Kashmiri people’s aspiration for the right of self-determination.
India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, when it abrogated Articles 370 and 35-A, marked a dangerous escalation. These measures were designed to alter the disputed region’s demographic, political, and cultural character through unlawful domicile laws, manipulated delimitation exercises, and aggressive settlement policies. Far from restoring peace, these actions exposed India’s determination to annihilate Kashmir’s disputed status and impose its extremist Hindutva ideology in the occupied territory.
Contrary to India’s claims of a “return to normalcy,” the post-2019 reality reflects heightened repression. The 2024 Kashmir state assembly elections, rather than legitimizing Indian control, effectively became a referendum against BJP policies, with Kashmiris rejecting Hindutva-driven narratives. However, the elected assembly remains powerless, as actual authority rests with the centrally appointed Governor under presidential orders, leaving the population frustrated by confused political and administrative arrangements.
The ground situation worsened further following the Pahalgam incident, after which Indian authorities launched sweeping operations across IIOJK, arresting and detaining nearly 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders. Fundamental rights—life, liberty, health, food, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly—have been systematically curtailed. Massive security-centric infrastructure development, particularly railways, reflects military priorities rather than civilian welfare, while cultural invasion through uncontrolled tourism and religious interference threatens Kashmir’s distinct identity.
Moreover, coercive strategies targeting Kashmiri youth—such as the influx of drugs, manipulation of quota systems, and corruption in government employment—aim to incapacitate future resistance. The recent decision of India’s Supreme Court to uphold the illegal abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A has further exposed the saffronisation of Indian institutions and colonial ambitions in Kashmir.
Despite relentless oppression, the Kashmiri struggle endures. The promise of peace and prosperity touted by New Delhi after August 2019 stands thoroughly discredited. The people of IIOJK now clearly recognize that they have been betrayed and reduced to instruments of BJP’s domestic political ambitions.
On the international front, Pakistan continues to actively advocate the Kashmir cause. The recent adoption of a Pakistan-sponsored UN General Assembly resolution on the “Universal Realization of the Right to Self-Determination”, supported by 72 countries, underscores the enduring relevance of this fundamental principle. On Kashmir Solidarity Day, special prayers, public processions, media transmissions, and diplomatic events organized by Pakistan’s missions abroad serve to remind the international community of its moral and legal responsibility.
As Pakistan and Kashmiris worldwide observe 5 February, the message remains resolute: Pakistan will continue to extend unwavering moral, political, and diplomatic support to the people of IIOJK until their right to self-determination is realized in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. Kashmir Solidarity Day is not merely a commemoration, it is a reaffirmation of justice delayed but not denied. Live long Pakistan-Kashmir Brotherhood.
Senior Research Analyst at the Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad
Can be reached at syedimransardar93@gmail.com
