Afia Ambreen
Kashmir Solidarity Day is being observed on 5 Feb each year since 1990 in Pakistan as a day of protest against Indian Occupied Kashmir (IHK). The day is also observed to commemorate the brutal killing incident of 55 innocent Kashmiri civilians in Srinagar. In 1990, after Indian authorities forced the Kashmiri puppet Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah to resign and enforced “Governor Rule” in IHK, Mr. Jagmohan Malhotra was appointed as new Governor of the state on 19 January 1990. Mr. Jagmohan, unleashed a new reign of terror. On night of January 20, Indian troops molested several women in Srinagar during house searches and raids. As the word about the molestation of the women spread in the morning, thousands of people took to the streets in the city to protest against the brutal crime of the troops. The occupation forces under the directions of new governor, resorted to indiscriminate firing on the protesters in Gaw Kadal area of the city, killing over 50 people and injuring hundreds of others. The January 21 mass killing of the people is one of the worst massacres of the Kashmir history.
The incident caused a nation-wide resentment in Pakistan owing to their natural affinity with the Kashmiri brethren. A complete strike in Pakistan was observed on 5 February 1990 and people of Pakistan showed their solidarity with the people of Kashmir. The strike was also a reminder to the international community to take cognizance of the Indian atrocities and inhuman behavior in Kashmir. In the following year, the government of Pakistan announced to officially observe 5 February as Kashmir Solidarity Day. Since then the day is observed every year when Pakistani public renew their pledge of solidarity with the Kashmiri people. In occupied Kashmir, the leaders of All Parties Hurriyet Conference have expressed immense gratitude to people and government of Pakistan for observing the Kashmir Solidarity Day. The APHC (G) leaders, Shabbir Ahmad Shah and Yasmeen Raja in their separate statements issued in Srinagar called upon the United Nations, European Union and Organization of Islamic Cooperation to play their role in settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per Kashmiris’ aspirations. They pointed out that the observance of the Kashmir Solidarity Day had center-staged the Kashmir at international level.
Kashmir is the unfinished agenda of partition plan under which Pakistan and India emerged as independent states in 1947. Under the plan, originally, Kashmir was part of Pakistan but India annexed major part of Kashmir by sending troops to Srinagar on October 26, 1947. Kashmiri freedom fighters resisted Indian aggression and got some part of Kashmir liberated from Indian occupation which is known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan extends its moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.
India has always denied the right of freedom to the innocent Kashmiri masses and tried to suppress their voice through extra-judicial mass killings, arbitrary arrests, ruthless and inhuman torture and sexual molestation using the instrument of Indian security forces. According to statistics, in last twenty four years 93,979 innocent Kashmiris have been martyred, 1,07,466 children orphaned, 10,084 women raped and 7,014 Kashmiris have been killed in custody. The discovery of unidentified mass graves in Kashmir is also another darkest chapter of human rights violations in IHK. In defiance to all international humanitarian laws, India is still continuing with its oppressive policies.
It is a reality that Kashmiri people are emotionally very much attached to the liberation movement and they always remain ready to render all kinds of sacrifices for the cause of freedom from India. Their participation in polling process should not be wrongly construed as their detachment from the freedom movement. They even expressed their liberation sentiments by raising pro-freedom slogans during the polling. At the same time the illegal detention and house arrest of Hurriyet leaders to prevent them from conducting election boycott campaign raised serious question on the credibility of the polling process.
Indian leaders particularly BJP and Narendra Modi must understand that Kashmiris would not allow their communal agenda to succeed in the territory and instead of staging polls dramas they must give the Kashmiri their right to self-determination. It is high time for the world community to come forward in a big way and impress upon New Delhi to fulfill its commitments and give the Kashmiris a chance to decide about their destiny on their own. This will be the biggest favour not only to the inhabitants of the region but also to the whole planet.
