Pakistan reiterates support for Kashmir on Black Day, urges end to rights abuses

Pakistan observed Kashmir Black Day on Tuesday, recalling the 1947 arrival of Indian forces in Srinagar and labeling it a tragic chapter that still haunts the region. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep worry about the prolonged imprisonment of Kashmiri political figures, activists and human-rights defenders, and stressed that lasting South Asian peace requires a just settlement in line with UN Security Council resolutions and Kashmiri aspirations.

President Asif Ali Zardari noted the long-standing denial of fundamental rights in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and called for continued global scrutiny. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated that the Kashmiri quest for self-determination remains unfinished, condemned India’s unilateral actions of August 5 2019, and urged the international community to pressure India to halt rights violations. He pledged Pakistan’s political, diplomatic and moral backing for the Kashmiri people and emphasized that any solution must respect UN mandates and avoid unilateral force.