Kashmir Solidarity Day: A Pledge of Unity and Support

Prophet Huzrat Muhammad Mustafaﷺ said, "Muslims are like one body of a person; if the eye is sore, the whole body aches, and if the head aches, the whole body aches."
[Sahi_Muslim, 6589]

At this time, cemeteries for martyrs are being established in Palestine, while atrocities have been committed in Kashmir for a long time. This has caused severe unrest and anxiety among the Muslim Ummah.

To add insult to injury, international peace organizations are merely playing the role of silent spectators. Even when resolutions are presented as a show, they are not implemented anywhere, which is even more distressing.

Every year, February 5th is observed as Kashmir Solidarity Day, a day to express solidarity and unity with Kashmiri Muslims. The tradition of observing Kashmir solidarity day began in 1975, following an agreement between Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah, the poliitician of occupied Kashmir.

The apparent purpose of the Indira-Sheikh historical agreement was to address regional grievances and restore political normalcy.However, it enabled Sheikh Abdullah to regain power in occupied Jammu and Kashmir after 1951. This led to a concerted effort to suppress the Kashmiri people's voice for freedom and self-determination.

Kashmir's freedom fighter leader and iron man, Syed Ali Geelani, played a crucial role in voicing the public's desire for self-determination and protesting against Indian military atrocities at the assembly, diplomatic, and international levels, from the tumultuous period until his death.

In the struggle for freedom in occupied Kashmir, not only political leaders but also public figures were involved. Among these supporters, Amanullah Khan and revolutionary leader Muhammad Maqbool Butt are notable mentions.

In this situation, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the head of Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan, and Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, the then-President and founder of the Azad Kashmir government, proposed to Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to observe a day of solidarity with the Kashmiri people. Prime minister Bhutto accepted the proposal and announced the observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day for the first time on February 28, 1975.

The people of Pakistan strongly protested against India's occupation of Kashmir and expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination.

However, due to the increasing atrocities of the Indian army in occupied Kashmir and the exploitation of Kashmiris, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the head of Jamaat-e-Islami, consulted with Nawaz Sharif, the then-Chief Minister of Punjab, and Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, in 1990 to observe a day of solidarity with the Kashmiri people. Given the political climate at the time, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto immediately endorsed the idea and announced the observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5th. Thus, the tradition of observing February 5th as a day of solidarity with the Kashmiri people began in 1990.

The official observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day began on February 5, 2004. On this day, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the then-Prime Minister of Pakistan, addressed a joint session of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly and the Jammu and Kashmir Council in Muzaffarabad. Since then, this tradition has been continued every year.

The struggle for freedom by Kashmiris continues to this day, with over 250,000 innocent Kashmiris martyred in the occupied valley and the genocide ongoing. Despite UN resolutions and international condemnation, India's oppression of Kashmiris remains unchecked, violating international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

In this context, Kashmir Solidarity Day, observed on February 5th, serves as a powerful platform to amplify the voices of the oppressed Kashmiris, express solidarity with their struggle for justice, dignity, and self-determination, and draw international attention to their plight The day is marked by public processions, special prayers, protests, and cultural programs in Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, and worldwide.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had declared Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan. February 5th, Kashmir Solidarity Day, is a day of renewal of this pledge: that Pakistanis have never left their Kashmiri brothers alone, nor will they ever. We stand with them in their struggle for freedom and self-determination, and will continue to support them until the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Jammu and Kashmir In Sha Allah!!