Syed Imran Sardar
\nEvery 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\u2019s partition.
\nThe 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.
\nSince 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\u2019s 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\u2019s right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite, but unfortunately that commitment remain unfulfilled to this day.
\nSince 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\u2019s aspiration for the right of self-determination.
\nIndia\u2019s 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\u2019s demographic, political, and cultural character through unlawful domicile laws, manipulated delimitation exercises, and aggressive settlement policies. Far from restoring peace, these actions exposed India\u2019s determination to annihilate Kashmir\u2019s disputed status and impose its extremist Hindutva ideology in the occupied territory.
\nContrary to India\u2019s claims of a \u201creturn to normalcy,\u201d 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.
\nThe 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\u2014life, liberty, health, food, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly\u2014have 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\u2019s distinct identity.
\nMoreover, coercive strategies targeting Kashmiri youth\u2014such as the influx of drugs, manipulation of quota systems, and corruption in government employment\u2014aim to incapacitate future resistance. The recent decision of India\u2019s 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.
\nDespite 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\u2019s domestic political ambitions.
\nOn the international front, Pakistan continues to actively advocate the Kashmir cause. The recent adoption of a Pakistan-sponsored UN General Assembly resolution on the \u201cUniversal Realization of the Right to Self-Determination\u201d, 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\u2019s missions abroad serve to remind the international community of its moral and legal responsibility.
\nAs 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. <\/p>\n
Prepared by
\nSyed Imran Sardar
\nSenior Research Analyst at the Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad
\nCan be reached at syedimransardar93@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13820],"class_list":{"0":"post-529645","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-syed-imran-sardar"},"yoast_head":"\n