President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have marked Kashmir Black Day by restating Pakistan’s support for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and calling for a just, peaceful settlement of the dispute in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions—the UN’s top body on peace and security—and the aspirations of Kashmiris.
In his Kashmir Black Day message, President Zardari asked the international community, especially the United Nations and international human rights organisations, to take serious notice of the human rights situation in IIOJK, help protect fundamental rights, and contribute to a lasting settlement. He said Pakistan would keep extending moral, diplomatic and political support, and would raise Kashmiri voices at appropriate international forums.
What the president said
Zardari described Kashmir Black Day as both a day of remembrance and a chance to renew commitment to a peaceful and just outcome. He linked lasting peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia to resolving the dispute under relevant UN Security Council resolutions and Kashmiri aspirations.
Paying tribute to those who have sacrificed, he reaffirmed solidarity in the pursuit of justice, peace, dignity and self-determination. “We will continue to raise their voice at every appropriate international forum and to advocate the realisation of their legitimate aspirations,” he said. He also said the day was not far off when the people of Jammu and Kashmir would determine their own future and the dispute would move toward a just and peaceful resolution.
The president recalled 27 October 1947, when Indian forces landed in Srinagar—the start, in his words, of a prolonged and tragic chapter. He said people in IIOJK had faced decades of conflict, restrictions, violence and repression. Continuing curbs on fundamental freedoms, heightened militarisation, arrests and reports of human rights violations, he argued, still need sustained international attention. He said the situation had worsened since 5 August 2019, when India unilaterally sought to change the territory’s constitutional and legal status.
What the prime minister said
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir remains clear, consistent and principled, and that lasting peace and stability in South Asia cannot come without a just and peaceful settlement. He said the government and people of Pakistan stood in unwavering solidarity with people in IIOJK, and that Islamabad would keep offering moral, diplomatic and political support while advocating their rights at home and abroad.
Recalling the same 1947 landing in Srinagar, he said Kashmiris had since been denied their right to self-determination as affirmed in UN Security Council resolutions. He praised their courage and resilience despite hardship and repression, and paid tribute to men, women and children who had sacrificed in pursuit of their rights.
Shehbaz voiced deep concern over what he called India’s efforts to suppress legitimate political expression and silence voices representing Kashmiri aspirations. Prolonged incarceration of Kashmiri political leaders, activists and human rights defenders, he said, underlined the need for due process, basic liberties and greater international attention. He added that unilateral measures since 5 August 2019, with sweeping restrictions on fundamental freedoms and effects on the political, legal and demographic character of the territory, had drawn serious international notice, and that Pakistan had consistently asked for these steps to be addressed under international law and applicable UN resolutions. He prayed for a future marked by peace, dignity, security and self-determination, saying aspirations could not be extinguished by coercion or repression.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 27 October 1947: Indian forces land in Srinagar; both leaders describe this as the start of a tragic chapter in Jammu and Kashmir’s history.
- 5 August 2019: India unilaterally attempts to alter the constitutional and legal status of Jammu and Kashmir; Zardari and Shehbaz say restrictions and related measures have deepened concern since then.
- 27 October (Kashmir Black Day): President Zardari and PM Shehbaz issue messages reaffirming support for Kashmiris and urging a UN-backed peaceful settlement.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistan ke President aur Wazir-e-Azam ne Kashmir Black Day par Kashmiriyon se milne ka elaan dobara kiya. Unhon ne kaha ke masla UN ke faislon aur Kashmiri logon ki marzi ke mutabiq sulah se hal hona chahiye. President ne UN aur human rights groups se IIOJK mein haalat par tawajjo maangi. Aam Pakistani ke liye yeh paigham yeh batata hai ke Islamabad is masle ko diplomatically zinda rakhta hai aur sulah-e-aman ki baat karta hai.
