Islamabad, February 5, 2026 — The Europe Today: President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast moral, diplomatic, and political support for the Kashmiri people, underscoring their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
In his message on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, observed annually on February 5, the president stated that Pakistanis worldwide stand united with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their just struggle.
President Zardari recalled that the observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day was initiated 36 years ago by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto following the historic Kashmiri uprising of 1989, a movement that continues to this day. He highlighted that for nearly eight decades, the Kashmiri people have remained steadfast in the face of what he termed illegal Indian occupation, making immense sacrifices for their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Expressing deep concern over the prevailing situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), President Zardari said the unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019, had further aggravated the plight of the Kashmiri people. He criticized India’s efforts to consolidate control through administrative and legislative measures, curtail media freedoms, detain Kashmiri leadership, and alter the demographic composition of the territory.
The president also highlighted what he described as grave human rights violations by Indian occupation forces, citing reports of arbitrary detentions, collective punishments, punitive house demolitions, and suppression of digital freedoms, including the blocking of thousands of social media accounts. He further condemned the recent profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in IIOJK, terming these actions as deliberate intimidation aimed at restricting the religious freedoms of the Muslim majority.
President Zardari warned that the military escalation initiated by India in May 2025 underscored the fragility of peace in South Asia, emphasizing that lasting regional stability is impossible without a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Calling on the international community to go beyond mere expressions of concern, he urged global actors to press India to end human rights violations, allow unhindered access for international human rights observers, and honor its commitment to granting Kashmiris their right to self-determination.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s position, President Zardari stated that the country would continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Kashmiri people until they are able to determine their future through a free and impartial plebiscite.
