People & Govt of Pakistan reaffirm solidarity with Kashmiri people on ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’: FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch

ISLAMABAD, August 05 (SABAH): Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has said that on the fourth anniversary of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the people and Government of Pakistan are solemnly observing the ‘Youm-e- Istehsal’ today in solidarity with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters.

FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement issued on Saturday said, in their special messages on the occasion, President Dr. Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have renewed Pakistan’s unwavering moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmir Cause and called for resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people. They have also underscored that India’s unlawful actions on and since 5 August 2019 are aimed at turning the Kashmiris into a marginalized and disempowered minority in their own land. 

The Foreign Minister has addressed letters to President UN General Assembly, President UN Security Council, UN Secretary General, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and OIC Secretary General to apprise them of the latest developments in IIOJK. In these letters, the Foreign Minister has urged implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own future. He has called for a UN-supervised investigation into the human rights situation in IIOJK. He has also appealed to the international community to urge India to release the incarcerated Kashmiri leaders and political activists, including Muhammad Yasin Malik, for whom the Indian authorities have recently sought a death penalty.

Ahead of the ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’, Foreign Secretary Dr. Asad Majeed Khan briefed the Islamabad-based diplomatic missions on the situation in IIOJK, on 4 August 2023. He also highlighted the legal, security and human rights dimensions of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

To express solidarity with the oppressed people of IIOJK, a special ‘Walk’ was held in Islamabad this morning along the Constitution Avenue, up to the Parliament Building. The walk was led by Adviser to Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Chaudhry Qamar Zaman Kaira. The officers and staff members of the Ministry participated in the walk.

A range of activities have been designed throughout the country to observe ‘Youm-e-Istehsal’, which include public rallies, seminars, webinars, panel discussions and photo exhibitions. With the active participation of Pakistani and Kashmiri Diaspora, Pakistan’s diplomatic missions around the world are also arranging special events to raise global awareness about the Indian oppression in IIOJK.