Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed across Karachi and other parts of the country to support Kashmiri people in their struggle for getting their right to self-determination.
A one-minute silence was observed at 10am to pay tribute to the martyrs in Kashmir who have sacrificed their lives in their struggle for their rights. A public holiday was announced in the country to commemorate the day in a befitting manner. In Karachi, leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami organised a Kashmir Conference in Hasan Square.
They urged the Indian government to halt the use of firearms as well as pellet guns against the innocent Kashmiri people in the occupied valley.
The participants called on India to allow the leadership from the occupied Jammu and Kashmir to travel abroad so that they can freely present their case and point of view before the international community.
The JI leaders also urged upon the government to take up the Kashmir issue with India, linking trade with India to the resolution of the Kashmir dispute as per the aspirations of Kashmiris according to the United Nations resolutions.
‘SYMBOL OF HEAVEN’
Addressing another rally, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the Kashmir Valley is a symbol of Heaven on Earth that the Indian forces have bathed in the blood of Kashmiri youth, men, women and even children.
“The freedom movement of the Indian-occupied Kashmir is nearing success, and the Indian occupation will soon die once and for all.” He said his grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly is a landmark spoken document on Kashmir. “He had rejected India’s claim on Kashmir as an integrated part of India, and that is the best position he took and it’s based on reality.”
The PPP chief said his party has this position even today, and will adhere to that position until the occupied Kashmir is freed from Indian yoke. He said the people of Pakistan commemorate Kashmir Day every year, and it is a clear message to the Indian government and its tyrant forces that Pakistan and Kashmir are not two but one, in one religion, culture and tradition.
The PPP chairman said the UN should now act on its own resolution on Kashmir, as political workers and intellectuals in India are also accepting today that Kashmir is a disputed territory, and India cannot sustain its occupation on Kashmir for long.
He said the PPP’s and Kashmiris’ struggles are two sides of the same coin, adding that the party will keep supporting the Kashmir cause at every national and international forum.
‘RIGHT CAN’T BE SNATCHED’
Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information, Archives, Law and Anti-Corruption Establishment Barrister Murtaza Wahab said in a statement that for the final settlement of the Kashmir dispute, the opinion of the Kashmiri people is of key importance.
Wahab said that every year all Pakistanis pay tribute to the steadfastness and heroism of the people of Kashmir. It is the day to reiterate our solidarity with the brave Kashmiri people, he added.
He said the people of Pakistan stand for the independence and fundamental rights of the people of Kashmir. The PPP has always stood with the people of Kashmir for their just struggle, and following in the footsteps of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto also constantly highlighted the issue of Kashmir globally, he added.
The adviser to CM said that the right of independence cannot be snatched by anyone, adding that the sacrifices of the Kashmiri people cannot be ignored. Barrister Wahab said that the international community should ensure speedy and just resolution of the Kashmir dispute in line with the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
‘JUGULAR VEIN OF PAKISTAN’
“The hearts of Pakistanis beat with the hearts of Kashmiris, and Pakistanis not only show their solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren on February 5 but on every day of the year,” said Haleem Adil Sheikh, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Sindh general secretary and the party’s parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly.
The Pak Kashmir Ittehad staged a big Kashmir Day rally in the New Sabzi Mandi area and it was led by Sheikh. It saw participation by a large number of citizens, as well as social, political and religious parties’ activists and civil society members.
After marching on different roads, the rally returned and culminated at New Sabzi Mandi, where it turned into a huge gathering. Addressing the rally, Sheikh said Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan and no one can keep Kashmir separate from Pakistan.
He said that thousands of Kashmiri youths, including Burhan Wani, have laid their lives in the war for Kashmir’s freedom. He also said that the entire Pakistani nation stands shoulder to shoulder with their Kashmiri brethren.
Sheikh said the enemy should not think that Pakistani politicians are divided over the Kashmir issue. “We fight in assemblies on other matters, but on the issue of Kashmir we always raise one voice.”
He said that there can be no compromise on the issue of Kashmir. “All political parties are on the same page on Kashmir,” he said. He added that in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, this issue has already been raised at different forums, including the UN and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Shaikh said the government of Pakistan has a plan for resolving the issue of Kashmir. He said that irrespective of who rules in India, Khan will keep a firm stance on the Kashmir issue. “India has already shown its ugly face to the world by violating the basic human rights of innocent Kashmiri civilians.”
