Islamabad ( The COW News Digital)Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, expressing hope that Kashmiris will soon achieve freedom from Indian occupation. His message came on the occasion of Kashmir Black Day, observed annually on October 27 to mark what Pakistan calls the illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by India in 1947.
In a special message, the Prime Minister said, “Seventy-eight years ago, India sent its forces to Srinagar and occupied Kashmir — one of the most tragic chapters in human history that continues to this day.” He added that despite decades of oppression, the courage and resilience of the Kashmiri people remain unbroken.
Shehbaz Sharif condemned India for continuously violating the UN Security Council resolutions that guarantee Kashmiris their right to self-determination. He paid tribute to the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir for their “unwavering resolve and unyielding spirit” in the face of decades of injustice, fear, and persecution.
“Since August 5, 2019, India has intensified its illegal and unilateral actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, referring to the revocation of the region’s special constitutional status. The Prime Minister accused New Delhi of attempting to alter the region’s demographic and political landscape to suppress the indigenous population’s identity and political rights.
He further said that India’s actions, including restrictions on freedom of expression, movement, and the implementation of repressive laws, are designed to silence legitimate political voices and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. “The arrest of political and social leaders, as well as journalists on fabricated charges, is a blatant violation of international laws and human rights,” he noted.
Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s “clear, principled, and consistent” stance on the Kashmir issue, emphasizing that sustainable peace and stability in South Asia would remain elusive without a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
“As Prime Minister of Pakistan, I assure our Kashmiri brothers and sisters that they are not alone in their struggle. The 240 million people of Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with them until they attain their legitimate right to self-determination,” he declared, expressing faith that the day of liberation “is not far away, Insha’Allah.”
