Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday paid tribute to the martyrs of July 13, 1931, saying their sacrifices remain a symbol of the courage, resilience, and unwavering determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle for dignity, fundamental rights, and the realization of their right to self-determination.
In a message issued on the occasion of Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, the prime minister said the 22 Kashmiris who embraced martyrdom after the Dogra administration opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Srinagar in 1931 had laid the foundation for the political awakening of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that despite continued militarization, repression, and reported human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the resolve of the Kashmiri people remained steadfast. He added that arbitrary detentions, restrictions on political activities and the media, and attempts to alter the demographic and political landscape of the territory had been documented by international human rights organizations and United Nations human rights mechanisms.
The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering political, diplomatic, and moral support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the country stood in complete solidarity with their struggle for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
He emphasized that lasting peace and stability in South Asia depended on the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.