Message of the Prime Minister on the occasion of the Kashmir Solidarity Day
5 February 2006

The Kashmir Solidarity Day is observed every year on 5 February by Pakistanis and Kashmiris all over the world. This Day reminds us about the ultimate sacrifices made by the Kashmiris for their right to self-determination. This right has been promised to the Kashmiri people by the world community in the shape of Security Council Resolutions. It remains on the UN agenda as an unfulfilled obligation.

The Kashmiris have waged a valiant struggle for their inalienable right against heavy odds and repression by the Indian occupation forces. They have remained undaunted and shown exemplary courage in the pursuit of their noble cause.

We in Pakistan feel deeply about the travails and sufferings of the Kashmiri people. We call on India to improve the human rights situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir. We have been pressing India to release all political prisoners without further delay. We have taken several initiatives to ameliorate the hardships of the Kashmiri people. The international community must also take serious notice of the plight of the Kashmiri people and push for the realization of a settlement in conformity with the aspirations of the Kashmiris.

Pakistan has stood by the Kashmiris in the past sixty years politically, diplomatically and morally and has refused to accept any one sided solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. We have maintained that the Kashmiris are a party to the dispute and have to be part of the peace process to make it sustainable and durable. We believe that the visit to Azad Kashmir and Pakistan by the APHC leadership was step in the right direction. We are confident that the just Kashmiri struggle will triumph soon. “Inshallah”

The tragedy caused by the devastating October 2005 earthquake has further strengthened the traditional bonds of affinity between Pakistanis and Kashmiris. The support provided by the people of Pakistan to their Kashmiri brothers and sisters amply demonstrates geographical, cultural and religious affinities between them. This natural calamity has only reinforced the fact that Pakistanis and Kashmiris are inseparable under all circumstances. We will remain steadfast in our resolve to support our Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their just struggle for the right to self-determination.