Pakistan is observing Kashmir Solidarity Day today, renewing its pledge to support the Kashmiri people’s just struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination.


Marking the occasion, rallies, demonstrations and seminars are being held across the country, while human chains will be formed at all entry points of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).


A one-minute silence will also be observed at 10 am nationwide to honour the martyrs of the Kashmir freedom movement, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.


As messages from the political leadership of the country pour in, President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast moral, diplomatic and political support for the Kashmiri people, reiterating their right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.


The president said Pakistanis across the world stand united with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their just struggle.


Recalling the history of the observance, he noted that Kashmir Solidarity Day was launched 36 years ago by the late former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto following the 1989 Kashmiri uprising, a movement that continues to this day.


Referring to international reports, he highlighted what he described as grave human rights violations by Indian occupation forces, including arbitrary detentions, collective punishment and punitive house demolitions. 


He also said the suppression of digital freedoms, including the blocking of thousands of social media accounts, reflected attempts to conceal realities on the ground.


Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif, in his message, called for the resolution of the dispute in accordance with UNSC resolutions, urging the international community to play an effective role in securing the Kashmiri people’s “inalienable right through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the UN”.


The premier also announced that the government had increased the monthly per capita subsistence allowance for Kashmiri refugees to Rs5,000.



“The government of Pakistan is conducting a pilot project to construct 750 residential houses at a cost of Rs3 billion,” PM Shehbaz said, adding that the AJK government has provided land for the project, which is exclusively meant for Jammu and Kashmir refugees settled in the territory.


He said the complete rehabilitation of Jammu and Kashmir refugees was a national duty, reaffirming that Pakistan would continue to stand with the Kashmiri people until they achieved their right to self-determination.


Separately, the armed forces, in a joint message issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reaffirmed their unwavering support for the “resilient people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)”.