President appeals for international support in resolving Jammu & Kashmir dispute

• President Alvi paid tribute to the 22 Kashmiri martyrs who sacrificed their lives in 1931.
• He reiterated the need for India to immediately end its repressive actions in IIOJK.
• He expressed disappointment that India has abolished the regional public holiday on Kashmir Martyrs’ Day.

President Dr Arif Alvi has appealed to the international community, particularly international human rights organizations, and the United Nations’ human rights institutions, to recognize and address the severe human rights and humanitarian situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

In a press release issued by the President Secretariat Press Wing, he urged these global bodies to work towards achieving a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

On the occasion of the 92nd Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir (Kashmir Martyrs’ Day) observed on July 13, President Alvi paid tribute to the 22 Kashmiri martyrs who sacrificed their lives in 1931 while facing indiscriminate firing by the Dogra forces.

He reiterated the need for India to immediately end its repressive actions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), put an end to all human rights violations, release political prisoners, lift the military blockade, halt attempts to alter the demographic structure of the occupied territory and allow the Kashmiri people to exercise their legitimate right to self-determination.

The president emphasized that the people of Pakistan stand united with their Kashmiri brethren in commemorating the sacrifices of the martyrs of 1931 and all innocent Kashmiris who have lost their lives in the struggle for justice.

Sadly, he highlighted that Kashmiris are still fighting against India’s unlawful occupation, with over 900,000 Indian occupation forces continuing to suppress the Kashmiri people and maintain their wrongful control over Jammu and Kashmir.

He also criticized India’s illegal and unilateral actions on August 5, 2019, as another attempt to deprive Kashmiris of their distinct identity and reduce them to a minority in their own land.

Furthermore, he expressed disappointment that India has abolished the regional public holiday on Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, which had been observed annually since 1948, and discontinued the traditional Guard of Honor ceremony at the Martyrs’ Graveyard, thus adding to the grievances of the Kashmiri people.