Nation marks Yaum-e-Istehsal today: India flouted international law on Aug 5, 2019, Zardari

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, CJCSC, services chiefs, armed forces and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other said that for the past seven decades, the Kashmiris have waited for the United Nations to fulfil its solemn commitments and it is crucial that the international community urges India to end its human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) and implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

“Pakistan, for its part, will continue to extend full moral, diplomatic and political support to the just struggle of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” he said in his message on the eve of Yaum-e-Istehsal being observed today (August 5).

According to statement issued by the President House on Sunday, President Asif Ali Zardari said August 5 marks the completion of five years of India’s latest campaign to consolidate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. “On this day, five years ago, India took a number of unilateral and unlawful steps in IIOJ&K to undermine its internationally recognised disputed status,” he said.

The president said since 5 August, 2019, India has embarked upon a ceaseless campaign to alter the demographic structure and political landscape of IIOJ&K.

He said issuing domicile certificates to outsiders, registering temporary residents in the voters’ lists, gerrymandering assembly constituencies, and modifying land and property ownership laws are some of the key features of this campaign. “All these measures are in blatant violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention,” he said.

The president said India’s actions since 5 August, 2019 demonstrate complete disregard for international law, the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, and the UN Security Council resolutions. He said India would not succeed in suppressing the just struggle of the people of IIOJ&K through domestic legislation and judicial verdicts.

President Zardari said the continued presence of hundreds of thousands of Indian troops has turned IIOJ&K into one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world. He said the gross human rights violations in IIOJ&K have been documented extensively and condemned globally. “That the mistreatment of Kashmiri journalists and human rights defenders has further revealed India’s willingness to go to any lengths to silence dissenting voices,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan will continue to extend its strong moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.

In a message on Yaum-e-Istehsal on August 5, 2024, he said the people and Government of Pakistan are observing the Yaum-e Istehsal today. “This somber occasion reminds us of the grave consequences of India’s illegal actions of 5th August, 2019 vis-à-vis Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).”

On 5 August 2019, he said India took a series of steps to consolidate its occupation of lIOJ&K.

“Ever since, India has been trying to convince the world that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of its territory. However, international law, historical facts, moral principles and the situation on the ground deny India’s baseless claims. Today, in IIOJ&K, efforts are being made to silence the genuine leadership of the Kashmiri people and muzzle the media. The number of political prisoners remains in the thousands, while 14 political organizations have been outlawed.

Harassment of innocent people, arbitrary detentions, and the so-called ‘cordon and search operations have become a matter of routine. The Indian forces are operating with impunity, according to them under different draconian laws,” he added. He said, “I, however, salute the indomitable courage of the Kashmiri people that has enabled them to withstand every Indian attempt to subjugate them. There is no doubt that India’s coercive methods have failed to diminish their yearning for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.”

“History has proven, time and again, that durable peace in South Asia remains contingent upon the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. In the interest of lasting peace and security in South Asia, India must move from dispute denial to dispute resolution,” he added.

The prime minister said, “The international community must urge India to halt its egregious human rights violations in IIOJK; reverse its unilateral and illegal actions of 5th August, 2019; repeal the draconian laws; and implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.”

Meanwhile, on the occasion of Yaum-e-Istehsal, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), services chiefs, and the Pakistan Armed Forces have reaffirmed their steadfast solidarity with the courageous and resilient people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

“We unequivocally support their legitimate and protracted struggle for the inalienable right to self-determination”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said.

The Indian security forces’ egregious violations of international law, including the ongoing draconian military lockdown, unlawful attempts to alter the demographic structure of the occupied territory, and persistent human rights abuses, are deeply reprehensible.

The military leadership and armed forces feel unjust actions, coupled with the Indian government’s belligerent rhetoric and hostile posturing, perpetuate the security and humanitarian crises in IIOJ&K, posing a constant threat to regional stability.

It is axiomatic that lasting peace and stability in the region hinge on the resolution of the long-standing Kashmir dispute, in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The Pakistan Armed Forces pay tribute to the martyrs of IIOJ&K for their extraordinary sacrifices and reaffirm their unwavering commitment to supporting the Kashmiri people in their righteous struggle against oppression and tyranny, on political, moral, and humanitarian grounds.

Meanwhile, President Azad and Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, while terming August 5 as the darkest day in the Kashmir’s history, has said that India’s apartheid regime’s move to strip the region of its special status was a brazen violation of the UNSC resolutions.

In his video message released on the eve of Youm-e-Istehsal, the president said that the main motive behind the revocation of Article 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution was to change the political and constitutional status of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”

India has been committing state terrorism against the people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir since a long time, however, the level of brutality and state repression has intensified significantly after August 5, 2019”, he said.

He, however, maintained that despite using all means of oppression and suppression Indian government has failed in its attempt to break the Kashmiris’ political resolve. “India wants to annex Occupied Kashmir forcibly, but the Kashmiri people have time and again refused to be a part of India”, Barrister Sultan said.

“The Kashmiri people want to determine their future in the light of the United Nations resolutions, which clearly recognize their inalienable right to self-determination”, he said. He said that the Modi government wants to stage a fake election drama in Occupied Kashmir, but New Delhi needs to realize the fact that nothing short of plebiscite can satisfy the Kashmiris’ aspirations.

Barrister Sultan expressed the hope that the international community would raise its voice in support of the oppressed people of occupied Kashmir and against the persecution of minorities in India.”

India claims to be a secular state and the largest democracy in the world but the stepped up incidents of state-terrorism in occupied Kashmir and persecution of minorities within India have left it totally exposed before the world”, he said. Referring to the transitional killings, he said that the murder of a Sikh leader in Canada by the Indian agents has exposed India at international level.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that New Delhi has exhausted all tactics of oppression and brutality in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), yet has utterly failed to suppress the Kashmiri people’s struggle for their right to self-determination.

Bilawal in his message on Kashmir Exploitation Day, remarked that India’s revocation of Articles 370 and 35A of its constitution sends a clear message to the world that it believes in state-sponsored oppression and tyranny. He noted that the objective behind India’s actions is to transform the demographic majority of Kashmiris into a minority in their own land.

Bilawal reiterated that the PPP remains steadfast in its commitment to advocating for the rights of the Kashmiri people on all international platforms. He called upon the global community to take immediate and effective measures to address the severe human rights violations in IIOJ&K and to support the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination as enshrined in numerous United Nations resolutions.

Meanwhile, reiterating Pakistan’s moral, diplomatic and political support to Kashmiris for their right to self-determination, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Amir Muqam August 5 will be marked as a day of exploitation against India’s illegal acts.

This he said while speaking to a joint news conference with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders here. The minister said the New Delhi regime had attempted to alter the demography of the Occupied Kashmir by revoking the Article 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution on August 5, 2019.

He said ‘Yaum-e-Istehsal’ will be observed across Pakistan today (Monday) against India’s illegal actions taken on August 5, 2019. “We reject India’s illegal occupation of Occupied Kashmir,” he made it clear.

Amir Muqam decried that India has been committing atrocities in the occupied Kashmiris since 1947 but it could not succeed in suppressing the freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people.

The minister urged the United Nations to ensure implementation of its Security Council’s resolutions on Kashmir. He called upon the OIC and other human rights bodies to play their due role in ending the ongoing Indian oppression against Kashmiris and help them get their right to self-determination. He said Kashmiris should be given an opportunity to exercise their right to self-determination through a UN-brokered plebiscite to decide their political future. The minister said that August 5 is the darkest chapter in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, 25000 injured and 24000 Kashmiris were jailed, Hurriyat offices were closed, Press Club was also closed in 2022. The so-called pioneers of democracy, he regretted, continued the unrelenting atrocities on the people of the disputed region.