Quetta (Parliament Times): Senior Provincial Minister of Balochistan, member of the Pakistan Peoples Party Central Committee, Parliamentary Leader, and Provincial Minister for Irrigation, Mir Mohammad Sadiq Umrani, has said that the purpose of observing February 5 as Kashmir Solidarity Day is to express unity and solidarity with Kashmiris living in all parts of the divided Kashmir.
He stated that this day has been observed continuously for many years, and the people of Balochistan will once again observe Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5 with full determination and spirit, standing firmly with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters.
Mir Mohammad Sadiq Umrani recalled that at the time of the 1975 agreement between Sheikh Abdullah and Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto announced February 28 as a day to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people. However, the official observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5 began in 2004.
He said that the objective of this day is to reaffirm support for the Kashmiris’ just struggle, their right to self-determination, political and diplomatic support, and to demonstrate unwavering resolve.
The provincial minister emphasized that the people of Kashmir have the legitimate right to decide their future through a plebiscite, freely choosing whom they wish to associate with. He added that Kashmiris have made unprecedented sacrifices and endured immense oppression in their struggle for freedom.
For the past 76 years, India has continued a systematic campaign of intimidation and repression against the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Despite severe human rights violations and inhumane treatment, the people of occupied Kashmir remain steadfast in their struggle for freedom. “The people of Pakistan salute the great struggle and sacrifices of the Kashmiri freedom movement,” he said.
Mir Mohammad Sadiq Umrani concluded by stating that, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, the only just and final solution to the Kashmir issue lies in a free, fair, and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations, in line with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.