ISLAMABAD:
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday paid tribute to the 22 Kashmiris martyred during the 1931 uprising against the Dogra government, commemorating the 95th Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir).
Kashmir Martyrs’ Day is celebrated on July 13.
“On this somber day, the people of Pakistan join hands with their Kashmiri brothers to commemorate the sacrifice of the martyrs of 1931. Sadly, Kashmiris are still fighting against the illegal occupation of India,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by the Press Wing of the President’s Secretariat.
Even today, the President said, more than 900,000 Indian occupation forces continue to hold the people of Kashmir hostage to perpetuate the unjust occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s illegal and unilateral actions on August 5, 2019 were another attempt to strip the people of Kashmir of their distinctive identity and make them a minority in their own land, he added.
President Zardari said India eliminated the regional public holiday of Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, which had been observed every year since 1948. India also suspended the traditional Guard of Honor ceremony at the Martyrs’ Cemetery.
“As we honor the priceless sacrifice of the heroes of 1931 as well as all the innocent Kashmiris who have laid down their lives in this just struggle, we urge India to immediately stop repression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), end all human rights violations, release all political prisoners, lift the military siege and stop its attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory,” the President said.
He urged the international community to play its due role in ensuring respect for human rights in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to support efforts towards the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister said that the Government of Pakistan reiterates its unwavering political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“We stand in complete solidarity with their just struggle for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,” he said in a statement.
“Durable peace and stability in South Asia remains dependent on the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council,” he added.
“Their sacrifice marked a defining moment in the political awakening of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and their struggle for dignity, fundamental rights and identity.”
The Prime Minister noted that Kashmir Martyrs’ Day also symbolizes the resilience, courage and unwavering determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which have inspired generations to continue their just struggle for justice and realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.
