- Advertisement -
ISLAMABAD, Feb 04 (APP): Prominent Kashmiri leader Altaf Hussain Wani, senior vice chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir National Front (JKNF), on Wednesday said Kashmir Solidarity Day serves as a reminder to the people of Kashmir that Pakistan and its citizens stand firmly with them in their quest for the right to self-determination.
In a video message on the occasion, Wani said Pakistan’s support for Kashmiris was not limited to a single day, but continued throughout the year.
However, he added, February 5 carried special significance as it amplifies the voices of Kashmiris, which he stated were being systematically suppressed by India.
He said political leadership in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir had been imprisoned and that serious human rights violations were continuing, including torture, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
He said India is introducing laws aimed at seizing land, altering the region’s demography and restricting religious practices, including what he described as profiling of religious leaders and state control over religious institutions.
Wani further criticised what he termed a false narrative of normalcy and development in the region, alleging that it masked policies amounting to settler colonialism.
“The fundamental purpose of this day is to bring the voices of Kashmiris to the world,” he said, thanking the people and government of Pakistan for their continued political and moral support.
Calling on Pakistan’s youth, academic community and political parties, Wani urged them to play a more active role in presenting the Kashmiri perspective internationally.
He said that movement restrictions, travel curbs and media controls in Indian-held Kashmir had made it difficult for local voices to be heard globally.
He said it was the responsibility of Pakistan’s civil society and political leadership to highlight what he described as contradictions between India’s democratic claims and its policies in Kashmir.
Concluding his message, Wani said Kashmiris remained resolute in their struggle and expressed gratitude to Pakistan’s political leadership and armed forces for what he termed their clear and unwavering support for the Kashmiri cause.