In a message marking Kashmir Solidarity Day, President Asif Ali Zardari today accused India of initiating a “dangerous military escalation” in May 2025, asserting that durable peace in South Asia remains impossible without resolving the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. The president also alleged a broad pattern of religious persecution against the region”s Muslim majority population, conducted under an “extremist Hindutva framework”.
The statement singled out the recent profiling of mosques and their management committees in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) as deliberate intimidation by Indian authorities. President Zardari described these actions as part of a campaign aimed at obstructing the free exercise of religion and denying the Kashmiri people their inalienable right to practice their faith without fear or discrimination.
Citing findings from recent international reports, the message highlighted an alarming rise in arbitrary detentions and collective punishment in the territory. The president further condemned the use of punitive house demolitions and the ongoing suppression of digital freedoms, including the blocking of thousands of social media accounts, as clear attempts to conceal the situation in IIOJK.
According to the president, India has intensified its efforts to consolidate its occupation since its unilateral actions of 5 August 2019. He claimed New Delhi seeks to disempower the Kashmiri people through administrative and legislative manipulation, which includes muzzling the media, incarcerating the local leadership, and attempting to dilute the Muslim-majority demographic.
President Zardari paid tribute to the “indomitable spirit and resilience” of the Kashmiri people, noting their nearly eight-decade struggle against what he termed illegal Indian occupation. The message reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering moral, diplomatic, and political support for their cause to achieve the right to self-determination as enshrined in United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day was initiated 36 years ago by the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, following the 1989 uprising.
The president urged the international community to move beyond “mere expressions of concern” and to persuade India to halt human rights violations in IIOJK. He called for unfettered access for international human rights observers to be granted to the region.
Concluding his message, President Zardari reiterated that Pakistan will continue to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the Kashmiri people until they can decide their own future through a free and impartial plebiscite.