President of Pakistan Condemns India’s Actions in IIOJK on Youm-e-Istehsal

President of Pakis Asif Ali Zardari condemned India’s actions since August 5, 2019, for disregarding international law, Kashmiri aspirations, and UN Security Council resolutions on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In his message on Youm-e-Istehsal, August 5, 2024, Zardari highlighted five years of India’s illegal occupation campaign in Jammu and Kashmir. He pointed out that on this day in 2019, India undertook unilateral and unlawful steps to undermine IIOJK’s internationally recognized disputed status.

Zardari accused India of altering the demographic and political landscape of IIOJK through measures like issuing domicile certificates to outsiders, registering temporary residents as voters, gerrymandering assembly constituencies, and changing land ownership laws. These actions, he noted, blatantly violate UN Security Council resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.

He emphasized that IIOJK has become one of the world’s most militarized zones due to the continued presence of Indian troops. Gross human rights violations in the region have been extensively documented and condemned globally. The mistreatment of Kashmiri journalists and human rights defenders, Zardari added, shows India’s extreme measures to silence dissent.

Zardari asserted that despite India’s domestic legislation and judicial verdicts, the just struggle of the Kashmiri people cannot be suppressed. He highlighted the seven-decade-long wait of Kashmiris for the UN to fulfill its commitments.

He called on the international community to urge India to end its human rights violations in IIOJK and implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to providing moral, diplomatic, and political support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their quest for self-determination, as enshrined in the UN resolutions.