2 weeks Ago By Muhammad Zahid Raffat
As in previous years, Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, along with people from all walks of life, are observing Kashmir Solidarity Day on 5 February 2025. This annual observance reaffirms Pakistan’s unwavering moral, diplomatic, and political support for the Kashmiri people, who continue to suffer under the brutal occupation of Indian security forces while struggling to secure their right to self-determination, as enshrined in UN Security Council resolutions. Despite India’s blatant refusal to implement these resolutions, it remains a historical fact that it was India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who took the Kashmir dispute to the United Nations in 1948, resulting in at least 16 substantive Security Council resolutions on the issue.
During a recent visit to Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphatically reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to supporting the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for freedom from India’s prolonged subjugation. He stressed the urgent need for resolving the long-standing Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions, highlighting the Kashmiri people’s enduring struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination. Modi’s Kashmir delusion The people of Pakistan and Kashmir share a deep, unbreakable bond.
Slogans of “Kashmir Banay Ga Pakistan” and “Pakistan Zindabad” frequently echo across both regions, while the green flag of Pakistan is hoisted with pride, especially on days such as 26 January—India’s Republic Day—which Kashmiris observe as a Black Day. On 26 January 2025, Kashmiris staged a complete shutdown, and government employees boycotted official celebrations, defying the harsh directives of India’s occupying administration. By observing Kashmir Solidarity Day, Pakistan’s civil, military, and political leadership—alongside its people—aims to awaken the global conscience to the plight of Kashmiris.
The international community has long witnessed and condemned the atrocities committed by Indian security forces, yet beyond verbal condemnation, meaningful action remains absent. More than seven decades have passed, and the Kashmiri people continue their indigenous, unarmed struggle against Indian occupation. Govt launches 6th round of mass deworming campaign Through consistent diplomatic efforts, Pakistan has successfully brought the Kashmir issue back to the agenda of the UN Security Council, which has discussed it multiple times in recent years.
Yet, despite this renewed attention, the dispute remains unresolved. Given that both India and Pakistan are nuclear-armed states, Kashmir is undeniably a nuclear flashpoint. Pakistan has repeatedly reminded the UN and the global community that lasting peace in South Asia is unattainable until the Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with Security Council resolutions, allowing the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their right to self-determination.
It is a bitter reality that the United Nations applies double standards when addressing international conflicts. A stark example is East Timor, where a prolonged guerrilla war from 1975 to 1999 resulted in thousands of casualties. In 1999, the UN intervened, placing East Timor under its supervision, leading to its independence in 2002.
This raises a critical question: if the UN could take direct action in East Timor, why has it failed to do the same for Kashmir? The ongoing bloodshed, violence, and gross human rights violations in Indian-occupied Kashmir have persisted for decades, yet the UN remains paralysed. Is the world body hesitant to act against India, a country now ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP-RSS) regime, which is aggressively promoting Hindutva? IHC announces new administrative changes with transfer of judges from 3 other high courts India has long claimed that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of its territory, attempting to deceive both its own people and the international community. However, it is a well-documented and globally recognised fact that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed region.
India has no legitimate claim over it beyond that of an occupier—just like past colonial powers. Determined to crush Kashmir’s indigenous freedom movement, India has become a nightmare for its minorities, with its oppressive policies extending beyond Kashmir. On 5 August 2019, India unilaterally revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, placing its eight million residents under a prolonged military siege.
The occupation was further reinforced by deploying over a million security personnel armed with draconian laws. Human rights violations continue unabated—Kashmiri men and youth are martyred, women raped and widowed, children orphaned, and homes demolished—while the international community turns a blind eye. ‘Made in Uzbekistan’ expo to establish result-oriented connections: Envoy As part of its Hindutva agenda, India is systematically altering the demographic makeup of Jammu and Kashmir by settling large numbers of Hindus in the region in an attempt to turn the Muslim majority into a minority.
However, these oppressive measures only serve to strengthen the resolve of the Kashmiri people. Their struggle for self-determination remains unwavering, and despite India’s brutal tactics, they are bound to achieve their freedom—sooner or later. Every drop of blood shed in Kashmir fuels the decades-long fight for justice, bringing them closer to their rightful destiny.
Muhammad Zahid Rifat The writer is Lahore-based Freelance Journalist, Columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad and can be reached at [email protected] Tags: kashmir solidarity.
