People throughout the country observed February 5, 2018 as the Kashmir Solidarity Day with the twin purposes of reiterating continued support to oppressed people of Indian occupied Kashmir and to draw the attention of the international community towards Indian security forces oppressive brutalities and atrocities on the Kashmiris men, women and children demanding freedom.

The federal government had done well in declaring a public holiday so that the people could fully observe the Kashmir Solidarity Day by organising processions and rallies in support of their Kashmiri brethren.

India had airlifted its security forces in October 1947 and occupied the valley of Jammu and Kashmir after the Hindu Maharaja through an illegal instrument announced accession to India. One can sell land but not the people living on that land. But the Hindu Maharaja had sold the people of valley of Jammu and Kashmir and the international community had remained a silent witness to this wholesale selling of the Kashmiris then and continues to be looking the other side criminally and regretfully even now.

Kashmiris are fighting against occupying Indian security forces, and more importantly to wake up conscience of the United Nation Organisation (UNO) and its member countries to implement its resolutions and exert pressure on India to grant the Kashmiris their fundamental right of self-determination which it itself had committed on the floor of UN Security Council.

Kashmiris indigenous, unarmed struggle for freedom, which they have all along been rejecting terming it illegal and against their aspirations, and their great sacrifices are more than enough to tell the international community that India can continue killing the Kashmiris but it cannot suppress their sentiments for freedom.

It is a bitter reality that Kashmir dispute remains on the UN agenda as unresolved for very, very long period and at the same time the continued silence of the international community in this respect is also deplorable. Even when the founding day of the United Nations was observed on October 24 throughout the world and its achievements were highlighted last year, there was no mention of unresolved lingering Kashmir dispute and any reiteration for its peaceful solution by granting the Kashmiris their birth right of self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions and India’s commitment. In fact, unresolved Kashmir dispute remains a black spot on the face of the world body.

It is matter of great shame and regret that the international community including so-called world human rights champion USA all are criminally silent over India’s continued occupation and gross human rights violations.

Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of partition of the Indian sub-continent and in all fairness the Kashmiri people are fighting to secure their birth right of self-determination, freedom from Indian occupation and complete the Pakistan Movement. Pakistan and Kashmir have eternal bond of geography, culture and religion.

Atrocities, brutalities, suppressive and oppressive measures of all sorts continuously being unleashed by occupying Indian security forces, whose number is more than six lakhs, as well as the great sacrifices being offered by Kashmiri men, women and children in their struggle for freedom cannot be mentioned in just one or more articles. Long history of Kashmiris struggle in the face of forced Indian occupation in fact needs volumes of books to do justice with their endless sacrifices for freedom. But for want of adequate space, the long history of Kashmiris struggle for freedom is being mentioned only briefly. Over the years, Indian government has been forcibly migrating Hindus into occupied Kashmir to turn the predominantly majority Muslim population into minority but even after resorting to such tactics, India is not letting the Kashmiris to exercise their right of self-determination which is universally recognised .

Pakistan has all along been supporting just indigenous, unarmed struggle of the Kashmiris at all international forums. It has been and will continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiris. Resolution of Kashmir dispute is key to stable peace, prosperity and prosperity in South Asia. Continued denial of right of self-determination to Kashmiris and even not holding bilateral talks for resolving linger Kashmir dispute peacefully has exposed the so-called democratic face of India.

By observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5 yet again the freedom loving Pakistanis want to reiterate their unstinted support which the government and people of Pakistan have for the Kashmiris in their determined fight against Indian occupation and for their securing birth right of self-determination and acknowledgement of their great sacrifices for the noble supreme cause of freedom from Indian occupation. Kashmiris are bound to be free from forced Indian occupation sooner or later, world conscience may suddenly wake up some day, come up in open support of struggling Kashmiris and put its whole weight on India to let the Kashmiris have what is their birth right to decide their future themselves. The day is not far off when not only people of Pakistan but also the international community at large will be supporting the Kashmiris ongoing freedom struggle.