Kashmir solidarity: Pak role in pursuit of peace in SA

2026-02-05 - 23:06

EACH year, the government and people of Pakistan observe 5 February as Kashmir Solidarity Day, reaffirming their unwavering support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly those living under Indian occupation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Since 1990, Kashmiris have endured systematic human rights violations at the hands of Indian security forces, making this solidarity not merely symbolic but a moral, political and humanitarian obligation. Kashmir Solidarity Day-2026 is being observed in a significantly changed regional environment. Pakistan’s decisive response to Indian military aggression in May 2025 has altered the strategic balance in South Asia and reinforced Pakistan’s deterrence posture. This development carries particular relevance for Kashmir, especially in the aftermath of India’s unilateral and illegal revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A on 5 August 2019, through which New Delhi downgraded the internationally recognized disputed territory from a state to two union territories. This act constituted a blatant violation of the UN Charter, UN Security Council resolutions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Pakistan’s solidarity with Kashmiris is centered on five key objectives. First, to demand that India should restore the pre-August 5, 2019 status of IIOJK by reversing its illegal acts, Second, to prevail upon and pressurize India to immediately stop massive human rights violations in IIOJK, third, to raise international awareness regarding the unresolved nature of the Kashmir dispute, four, to compel India for stopping making demographic changes in IIOJK and cancel all the domicile documents, issued to non-Kashmiris and five, to remind the UN of its responsibility to implement its long-standing resolutions on Kashmir for the resolution of dispute through a free and fair UN-administered plebiscite. Beyond widespread human rights abuses, the people of IIOJK remain under a constant state of siege and surveillance ever since 2019. Indian forces, along with extremist elements of RSS and BD, operate with impunity arbitrarily arresting, torturing and killing innocent Kashmiris. Much of the Kashmiri political leadership of IIOJK remains imprisoned or under house arrest, while the general population lives in conditions resembling an open-air prison, enduring harsh winters and economic suffocation. Since August 2019 alone, thousands of Kashmiris have been killed, injured or forcibly disappeared, while many young Kashmiris have been transferred to detention centers and prisons far outside the territory. The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A was clearly designed to facilitate demographic engineering in IIOJK. Non-Kashmiris, particularly Hindus from other parts of India, are being allotted land and residency rights, with the explicit aim of transforming the Muslim-majority character of the region. Reports from within IIOJK indicate the presence of extremist Hindu nationalist groups, including elements associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad, who have reportedly engaged in intimidation, arson, targeted killings and sexual violence against Kashmiri Muslims. These groups operate under the protection of the BJP-led government, enjoying near-total immunity. Regrettably, the international community’s response has remained muted. India has exploited this silence, while several Muslim-majority states particularly in the Middle East have expanded political and economic cooperation with New Delhi. This indifference has emboldened India and deepened Kashmiri suffering. Unfortunately, the role of OIC has been found wanting over the Kashmir dispute. This organization was established to protect the Muslims from aggression and exploitation of non-Muslims. Nevertheless, it has neither worked as a productive organization for the people of Jammu and Kashmir nor the cause of Palestinians could be served. Historically, Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan share deep-rooted ties that predate the partition of the subcontinent. These ties are grounded in shared history, religion, culture, ethnicity, migration patterns and inter-marriages. Geography further reinforces this natural relationship as all major access routes to Jammu and Kashmir historically run through Pakistan. The only unnatural link through Gurdaspur (Pathankot) was engineered by India in 1947 through the controversial Radcliffe Award, which enabled Indian military access to Kashmir. Indeed, Kashmiris have very strong and intimate relationship with Pakistan for centuries. Kashmiris blood runs in the veins of Pakistanis and Pakistanis blood runs in the veins of Kashmiris, hence both are inseparable. Over the past seventy-eight years, Kashmiris have consistently rejected Indian rule and have risen repeatedly against occupation. Since the armed resistance began in 1990, over 100,000 Kashmiris have lost their lives. Despite deploying nearly 900,000 troops in IIOJK and enforcing draconian laws, India has failed to break the Kashmiri will for self-determination, resorting instead to constitutional manipulation and intensified repression. Today, the Kashmir dispute has evolved into a grave humanitarian crisis, marked by state-sponsored violence and systematic denial of basic human rights. International organizations including the United Nations and Amnesty International have documented these abuses, yet meaningful action against India remains absent. Instead, major powers continue to expand strategic and economic ties with New Delhi. Whereas IIOJK is a prey to Indian state sponsored terrorism, New Delhi run international terrorist network all over the globe. This fact is known to UN and entire international community including Muslim states, yet there is no palpable response. Through Kashmir Solidarity Day-2026, the people and state of Pakistan once again urge the United Nations, major powers and the civilized international community to honour their commitments and ensure that Kashmiris are granted their UN-mandated right of self-determination. This has become essentially significant under the fragile regional and international environment. Indeed, all pathways to lasting peace in South Asia pass through Kashmir; peace in Kashmir is indispensable for peace in the region. — The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad. (drmkedu@gmail.com)