DPM Dar urges India to grant Kashmiris right to self-determination
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan's longstanding stance that India must grant the people of Kashmir their right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
Ishaq Dar addressed participants at a rally held in Islamabad to mark Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir (Kashmir Exploitation Day).
"We will continue to extend diplomatic, political, and moral support to the Kashmiri people until their inalienable right to self-determination is realized".
The rally started from the Foreign Office and culminating at D-Chowk, with participation from federal ministers, politicians, Hurriyat leaders, students, and citizens from various walks of life.
He emphasized that India must "revoke all illegal actions taken on August 5, 2019, end its oppressive measures in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and lift the media blackout in the region."
نائب وزیراعظم اور وزیر خارجہ، سینیٹر محمد اسحاق ڈار ، کا یومِ استحصَال کے موقع پرویڈیو پیغام
بھارت گزشتہ 78 برسوں سے کشمیری عوام کو ان کے حقِ خودارادیت سے محروم رکھے ہوئے ہے۔ 5 اگست 2019 کے بعد اس نے ظلم و جبر، آبادیاتی تبدیلی، ذرائع ابلاغ پر قدغن ، اور سیاسی کارکنوں کی گرفتاری… pic.twitter.com/H1SgVSaPB6 — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 4, 2025
Dar stated that "Pakistan will continue to extend diplomatic, political, and moral support to the Kashmiri people until their inalienable right to self-determination is realized."
He underscored that "Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute, and its future cannot be determined through internal legislation or court rulings."
The Deputy Prime Minister also voiced concern over media reports suggesting Indian authorities are attempting to "grant statehood to Jammu while retaining the Kashmir Valley as a Union Territory," calling such moves "unacceptable and provocative."
Reiterating Pakistan's stance, Dar said "Pakistan believes in peaceful coexistence, but its commitment to peace should not be mistaken for weakness." He added: "Islamabad desires friendly relations with all neighboring countries and prefers dialogue and diplomacy over confrontation."
However, he warned that "Pakistan's armed forces and its people are fully capable of delivering a resolute response to any act of aggression, as demonstrated during Marka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyanum-Marsoos."
Read: PM reaffirms Pakistan's unwavering solidarity with Kashmiris
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, who was also presnt at the rally, said "Kashmir is our jugular vein and we are firmly standing with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters."
He expressed confidence that "the day is not far when Kashmiris will be granted their inalienable right to self-determination to decide their fate."
Tarar reiterated Pakistan's commitment to "continue raising voice of the Kashmiris at all world fora."
Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam said, "August 5 is the blackest day in the history of Kashmir when India had revoked special status of Kashmir to illegally change the demography of the state."
He added "Kashmiris have never accepted illegal Indian occupation on Kashmir."
Moreover, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the just resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute was a key pillar of Pakistan's foreign policy and urged the international community to play a role in halting Indian human rights crimes in IIOJK.
In his message on the occasion of Youm-e-Istehsaal, the prime minister urged the global community to press India to reverse its unilateral and illegal actions of August 5, 2019; repeal draconian laws and implement UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir.
COAS Field Marshal Asim Munir, along with the CJCSC, naval chief, chief of air staff and the Pakistan Armed Forces have reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with the resilient and courageous people of IIOJK.
The armed forces of Pakistan fully support the legitimate and ongoing struggle of the Kashmiri people for their inalienable right to self-determination, as enshrined in international law and UN Security Council resolutions, the statement read.
Youm-e-Istehsaal is being observed to express support for the Kashmiri people's right to freedom, and to protest India's illegal and unilateral action of August 5, 2019. It was on this day in 2019 when India unilaterally and illegally stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.
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