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PESHAWAR, Jul 19 (APP): Across Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, July 19 is observed with solemnity and fervor as Kashmir Accession Day, commemorating a landmark resolution passed in 1947 by the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference that called for the princely state’s accession to Pakistan.
The day holds profound emotional and political weight, especially in the backdrop of the over seven decade-old Kashmir conflict that remains unresolved due to the hegemony of India.
“On July 19, 1947, a month before the partition of British India, political leaders in the Muslim-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir gathered in Srinagar. The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference had passed a historic resolution favoring Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan,” said Professor Dr Ejaz Khan, former Chairman International Relations Department at University of Peshawar.
He said the landmark resolution came amid India’s hegemonic designs, rising communal tensions, and debates over the future of princely states.
“Pakistan was seen by many Kashmiri Muslims as a natural home, due to cultural, religious, and geographic ties. However, history took a different turn and in October 1947, India had illegally landed its troops in Srinagar, sowing the seeds of one of the world’s most intractable disputes and starting of first Indo-Pak war on Kashmir.
Since then, India had broken all records of human rights abuses, extra judicial killings and state terrorism in IIOJ&K where life became a nightmare for oppressed Kashmiris.
“The unending repression, human rights’ abuses and organized Indian state terrorism that started from an illegal invasion at Srinagar on October 27, 1947 were further intensified after the fascist Modi Govt had unlawfully revoked the special status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jummu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on August 5, 2019” said Dr Ejaz Khan.
He said India went against several passed UN Security Council resolutions after abolishing the special status of IIOJK which was major dispute between Pakistan and India, saying it was the responsibility of UNSC members to grant rights of self-determination to the oppressed Kashmiris.
Mushtaq Ahmed Shah, Vice Chairman, Jummu and Kashmir Peoples League told APP that July 19 was a historic day on this day Kashmiris passed a landmark resolution announcing to join Pakistan.
He said Kashmiris knew about about India’s oppression and cruelties designs against Kashmiris and therefore announced accession to Pakistan being a muslim country.
“After August 5, 2019 illegal actions, Indian occupation forces had killed innocent Kashmiris in fake encounters, put Kashmiri leadership behind bars, imposed clampdown on media and used human rights abuses as weapon of war,” he said.
Even the mass rituals and funeral of great Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Gillani was not allowed and his body was forcefully snatched from the bereaved family and buried at night.
Similarly, great hurriat leader, Muhammad Yasin Malik was jailed for life in a fake case in a bid to silence his strong voice for Kashmir’s freedom and terrorize other Kashmir leadership.
Despite the brutal killing of freedom fighter Burhan Wani and others Kashmiris leadership in a fake encounter, he said India has failed to suppress the indigenous freedom movement in IIOJK.
The Kashmir leader claimed over six million illegal domicile certificates of IIOJK have been provided to Hindus in a bid to bring about demographic change there.
The gruesome violation of human rights including forced disappearance of over 8,000 innocent Kashmiris, 8,652 unmarked mass graves, imposition of longest curfew on some 10 million unarmed Kashmiris, extra judicial killings and human rights abuses especially against women and children have exposed India’s ugly secular face, he said.
The Kashmir leader while referring to the September 2021’s Pakistani dossier said about 8,652 unmarked graves were identified in 89 villages of six districts in the held valley while bodies of 37 Kashmiris burnt alive by Indian forces were beyond recognition.
Since 1989, he said over 96,000 cases of extra judicial killings, around 162,000 cases of arbitrary arrests and torture, over 25,000 pellet guns injuries, 11,250 women raped, 23,000 women widowed and over 108,000 children orphaned by the Indian army.
Mushtaq Ahmed said an excessive use of snipers and cluster ammunitions by India to target innocent Kashmiris along the Line of Control (LoC), use of children and women as human shields by Indian army during encounters and making them sleep at military camps forcing them to dig out minefields and tying youth on military jeeps further testified Modi government’s direct involvement in war crimes and genocide of Kashmiris.
Professor Dr AH Hilali, former Chairman Political Science Department, University of Peshawar said that the Kashmir Accession Day is powerful reminder of the Kashmiri people’s aspirations and their rightful demand to be part of Pakistan.
He said that strategic stability has been threatened by India as it continues to receive abundant supply of conventional and non conventional weapons that put the peace of South Asia at stake.
The unprecedented increase in India’s military budget and expenditures in recent years have characterized the global security landscape as grim.
“The Indian Govt has allways escaped from meaningful dialogue on Kashmir and never reciprocated positively to the Govt of Pakistan dialogue offer.”
Hussain Khateeb, member All Parties Hurriyat Conference (Gillani Group) said the burning of mosques, houses and shops belonging to Muslims at BJP-led Tripura state by Hindutvta groups of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal has exposed Modi’s tyranny against minorities.
The mosques in Krishnagar, Dharmangar, Panisagar, Chandrapure were recently vandalized by the saffron-wearing youth in planned attacks on the Muslims population.
Former ambassador Manzoorul Haq said that the illegal occupation of Kashmir valley by India had negated multiple articles of the 30 fundamental human rights of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) drafted by representatives from all the regions of the world including India on December 10, 1948 that subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
“This declaration was applied to all the signatory members of the UN including India and restrained them from all kinds of abuses, exploitation, maltreatment and violence besides violation of any fundamental rights protected in UDHR”
Ambassador Manzoor said India’s October 27, 1947 and August 5, 2019 illegal acts was a complete violation of international human rights laws including 4th Geneva Convention and UN Security Resolutions.
“Modi Govt went against several passed UN Security Council’s resolutions after revoking the IIOJK’s special status and it was responsibility of the international community including world powers to press the Hinduvata regime to immediately go back to pre August 5, 2019 status of IIOJK and give right of self determination to oppressed Kashmiris inevitable for lasting peace and stability in South Asia.”
The experts regretted the failure of UNSC in implementation of its resolutions on Kashmir, urging international community to look beyond trade and business interests and step forward with collective action to stop genocide of oppressed Kashmiris besides pressurize Modi government to reverse all its illegal actions of August 5, 2019 and give right of self determination to them like that of East Taimur as per the UN Security Council’s Resolutions imperative for lasting peace and stability in South Asia.
They said the road to peace in South Asia was passing through Kashmir and another war on this lingering issue would prove disastrous for the entire region and its negative repercussions would go beyond borders.
They said the freedom struggle in IIOJK has entered into an important phase and the day was near when people of the held valley would get freedom from Indian yoke.
Meanwhile in KP, Kashmir Accession Day is marked by public rallies, demonstrations and cultural events. Leaders from across the political spectrum reiterate Pakistan’s support for the Kashmiri right to self-determination.
In KP, the streets and roads were decorated with Pakistani and Kashmiri flags, with public figures addressing large gatherings. In schools, students performed skits and sang patriotic songs. The media played archival footage, while op-eds revisited the unfulfilled promise of the 1947 Kashmir Accession Resolution.
As South Asia continues to grapple with political tensions and competing narratives, July 19 remains a date that reminds the world that Kashmir was an integral part of Pakistan and put pressure on India to grant right of self determination to them.