Kashmir Solidarity day: A Struggle for Justice and Recognition

Kashmir Solidarity day: A Struggle for Justice and Recognition

The world has progressed significantly since 1947. People today enjoy greater opportunities and a more comfortable life, while investors, traders and entrepreneurs thrive in a globalized free market. Travel has become more accessible, international stakeholders are more interconnected than ever and institutions like the United Nations wield greater influence.


Usman Farooq

Yet, despite this progress, a land often called "heaven on earth", spanning approximately 92,782 square kilometers, remains engulfed in suffering. The people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) continue to endure daily brutality, their plight largely ignored by the global community. IOJK is one of the most militarized regions in the world, where repression and human rights violations persist with alarming regularity.


February 5th, observed as Kashmir Solidarity Day, serves as a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by the martyrs of the Kashmiri freedom movement. Meanwhile, the world's largest democracy stands accused of orchestrating a demographic shift, seeking to reduce the Muslim majority in IIOJK to a minority through systematic oppression.


The Kashmir issue has remained unresolved since 1947, making it one of the longest-standing conflicts on the United Nations' agenda. Before 1990, there was no official day dedicated to Kashmir’s cause. It was Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif who first called for nationwide observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day, bringing much-needed global attention to the struggle for self-determination. This initiative marked an important step in highlighting the Kashmiri people’s right to freedom and justice.


Pakistanis, having lived alongside Indians for decades before partition, understand India's ideological foundations better than most. The two nations have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, underscoring Pakistan’s deep-rooted historical, religious, cultural and geographical ties to the region. The Kashmir Valley, home to a Muslim-majority population, remains under brutal occupation by Indian forces, who continue to violate the fundamental rights of Kashmiris, including their right to self-determination, freedom of speech and property ownership.


Pakistan has consistently championed the Kashmiri cause on global platforms, increasing their voices at international forums, given the restrictions on free media in IIOJK. India disregards United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. UNSCR 38 (1948) and UNSCR 112 (1957) explicitly mandate that any change in Jammu and Kashmir’s status must be reported to the Security Council and that unilateral alterations by IIOJK authorities do not determine the region’s final disposition.


India’s global image as a secular democracy has crumbled under its embrace of Hindutva ideology, which promotes Hindu supremacy at the cost of minority rights. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, this ideology has fueled ethnic cleansing and systemic oppression. The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, which stripped Kashmir of its special status, was a blatant attempt to alter the region’s demographics. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has facilitated the forced acquisition of Kashmiri land, granted voting rights to outsiders for political gain and encouraged Hindu settlements in IIOJK, policies explicitly prohibited in AJK, where non-residents cannot purchase property.


Pakistan continues to highlight Kashmir’s plight at global forums such as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Human Rights Council (HRC) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Through persistent diplomatic efforts, Pakistan has kept the issue alive, rallying Muslim nations to support the Kashmiri struggle. Meanwhile, Kashmiris remain steadfast in their pursuit of freedom, despite enduring some of the world's worst human rights violations. Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and sexual violence are rampant. Night raids, arbitrary detentions and curfews have become routine. Freedom fighters are labeled as terrorists, but in reality, they are resisting a brutal occupation.


The Kashmir issue is not an internal matter of India, it is a human rights crisis that demands international intervention. Major global actors, including the United Nations and the European Union, often present themselves as champions of human rights, yet they turn a blind eye to the daily atrocities in Kashmir. Even China, which controls 20% of Kashmir, has largely remained silent. This selective ignorance, driven by economic and strategic interests, has been a major obstacle to resolving the conflict. The world today is increasingly realist, liberal institutions are used more for political leverage than for genuine humanitarian concerns.


The failure to resolve Kashmir after 76 years raises critical questions about the very legitimacy of the United Nations. The League of Nations collapsed due to its inability to prevent global conflicts, will the UN meet the same fate? Despite multiple UNSC resolutions, the organization has failed to conduct a plebiscite in Kashmir. Between 2000 and 2019 alone, 4,427 Kashmiris were killed. During Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule, over 237,000 Kashmiris lost their lives. Since 1989, more than 96,000 people, including women and children, have been killed. Arbitrary arrests, torture and sexual violence remain widespread, leaving entire communities traumatized.


Every year, on February 5th, Pakistan observes Kashmir Solidarity Day with rallies, seminars and public demonstrations to honor the sacrifices of Kashmiri martyrs. Schools and colleges remain closed and the nation unites to reaffirm its support for the Kashmiri struggle. The unresolved conflicts of Kashmir and Palestine bear striking similarities, both are international crises marked by decades of suffering. Yet, the Palestinian cause receives far more global attention, even though the death toll in Kashmir exceeds 96,000. The Kashmiri struggle must not be confined to a single day of solidarity. In today’s digital age, leveraging social media is crucial to exposing the reality of Indian occupation. Rather than limiting awareness to school seminars and public holidays, efforts must focus on mobilizing global opinion. Numbers matter, the louder the collective voice, the harder it becomes to ignore.

 

The author is a student of International Relations at the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) and an intern at the Kashmir Institute of International Relations.

 

 

 

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