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Pakistan to continue supporting people of Jammu & Kashmir: PM Shehbaz
Pakistan to continue supporting people of Jammu & Kashmir: PM Shehbaz

Business Recorder

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • Business Recorder

Pakistan to continue supporting people of Jammu & Kashmir: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government of Pakistan will continue to extend its political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are waging a struggle to gain their right to self-determination and freedom. In a message on the occasion of Kashmir Martyrs' Day observed on July 13, he said, 'Kashmir Martyrs' Day is observed every year to pay tribute to the 22 Kashmiris who sacrificed their lives on July 13, 1931, while protesting against the Dogra forces of Jammu and Kashmir.' He said, 'The day serves as a reminder of the inherent steadfastness, resistance against brutal forces and unwavering resolve of the Muslims of Kashmir. The struggle for freedom, human rights and Kashmiri rights has been going on throughout Kashmir's history.' President asks international community to take notice of HR abuses in IIOJ&K 'The Kashmiri people have been and are sacrificing their lives in their legitimate struggle for the right to self-determination,' he said, adding, 'The government of Pakistan expresses its political, diplomatic and moral support in solidarity with the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir, which is illegally occupied by India.' He said, 'We salute the bravery and determination of all Kashmiri martyrs, who sacrificed their lives during decades of Indian occupation.' 'Today, the Government of Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to the resolution of the Kashmir issue and the right of self-determination of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with United Nations resolutions,' he concluded.

India Hindu pilgrimage begins near Pahalgam
India Hindu pilgrimage begins near Pahalgam

Business Recorder

time03-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Business Recorder

India Hindu pilgrimage begins near Pahalgam

PAHALGAM: Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in contested Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) on Thursday, with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan. Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam. Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly tourists. New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad rejected – triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict. It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a May 10 ceasefire. But pilgrim Muneshwar Das Shashtri, who travelled from Uttar Pradesh state, told AFP 'there is no fear of any kind'. 'Our army is standing guard everywhere. No one can raise a finger towards us,' he said. India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the gruelling trek to reach the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction Shiva. 'We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,' said VK Birdi, police chief for the Muslim-majority territory. 'Not afraid' At Pahalgam, soldiers have turned a tented base camp into a fortress encircled by razor wire. Troops in newly deployed armoured cars, or from gun positions behind sandbags, keep a close watch – efforts boosted by facial recognition cameras. 'High-quality surveillance cameras have been installed at all major points along the route,' said Manoj Sinha, the Indian-appointed top administrator for Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Blasts rock Occupied Kashmir, Amritsar as Pakistan conflict escalates All pilgrims must be registered and travel in guarded vehicle convoys, until they start out to walk. Camouflaged bunkers have been erected in the forests along the route, where dozens of makeshift kitchens provide free food. Electronic radio cards pinpoint their location. Pilgrims can take several days to reach the cave, perched at 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) high, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) uphill from the last easily motorable track. 'Whatever the attack that was carried out here, I am not afraid. I have come to get a glimpse of baba (the ice formation)' said Ujwal Yadav, 29, from India's Uttar Pradesh state, undertaking his first pilgrimage to the shrine. 'Such are the security arrangements here that no one can be hurt.' Sinha has said that 'public confidence is returning', but admits that pilgrim registration had dipped by 10% this year. Once a modest, little-known ritual, attended by only a few thousand mainly local devotees, the pilgrimage has grown since an armed insurgency erupted in 1989. Rebels fighting in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) have said the pilgrimage is not a target, but have warned they would act if it was used to assert Hindu dominance. In 2017, suspected rebels attacked a pilgrim bus, killing 11 people. The gunmen who carried out the April 22 killings remain at large, despite the manhunt by security forces inbIIOJ&K where India has half a million soldiers permanently deployed. On June 22, India's National Investigation Agency said two men had been arrested from the Pahalgam area who they said had 'provided food, shelter and logistical support' to the gunmen. Indian police have issued wanted notices for three of the gunmen, two of whom they claim were Pakistani citizens.

India Hindu pilgrimage begins in contested IIOJ&K Kashmir
India Hindu pilgrimage begins in contested IIOJ&K Kashmir

Business Recorder

time03-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Business Recorder

India Hindu pilgrimage begins in contested IIOJ&K Kashmir

PAHALGAM: Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in contested Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) on Thursday, with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan. Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam. Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly tourists. New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad rejected – triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict. It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a May 10 ceasefire. But pilgrim Muneshwar Das Shashtri, who travelled from Uttar Pradesh state, told AFP 'there is no fear of any kind'. 'Our army is standing guard everywhere. No one can raise a finger towards us,' he said. India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the gruelling trek to reach the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction Shiva. 'We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,' said VK Birdi, police chief for the Muslim-majority territory. 'Not afraid' At Pahalgam, soldiers have turned a tented base camp into a fortress encircled by razor wire. Troops in newly deployed armoured cars, or from gun positions behind sandbags, keep a close watch – efforts boosted by facial recognition cameras. 'High-quality surveillance cameras have been installed at all major points along the route,' said Manoj Sinha, the Indian-appointed top administrator for Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Blasts rock Occupied Kashmir, Amritsar as Pakistan conflict escalates All pilgrims must be registered and travel in guarded vehicle convoys, until they start out to walk. Camouflaged bunkers have been erected in the forests along the route, where dozens of makeshift kitchens provide free food. Electronic radio cards pinpoint their location. Pilgrims can take several days to reach the cave, perched at 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) high, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) uphill from the last easily motorable track. 'Whatever the attack that was carried out here, I am not afraid. I have come to get a glimpse of baba (the ice formation)' said Ujwal Yadav, 29, from India's Uttar Pradesh state, undertaking his first pilgrimage to the shrine. 'Such are the security arrangements here that no one can be hurt.' Sinha has said that 'public confidence is returning', but admits that pilgrim registration had dipped by 10% this year. Once a modest, little-known ritual, attended by only a few thousand mainly local devotees, the pilgrimage has grown since an armed insurgency erupted in 1989. Rebels fighting in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) have said the pilgrimage is not a target, but have warned they would act if it was used to assert Hindu dominance. In 2017, suspected rebels attacked a pilgrim bus, killing 11 people. The gunmen who carried out the April 22 killings remain at large, despite the manhunt by security forces inbIIOJ&K where India has half a million soldiers permanently deployed. On June 22, India's National Investigation Agency said two men had been arrested from the Pahalgam area who they said had 'provided food, shelter and logistical support' to the gunmen. Indian police have issued wanted notices for three of the gunmen, two of whom they claim were Pakistani citizens.

GB CM expresses solidarity with Kashmiris amid Indian aggression
GB CM expresses solidarity with Kashmiris amid Indian aggression

Express Tribune

time03-05-2025

  • Politics
  • Express Tribune

GB CM expresses solidarity with Kashmiris amid Indian aggression

Listen to article Terming Pahalgam incident a false flag operation orchestrated by India, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan expressed solidarity with Kashmiris. A delegation of Kashmiri leaders, including Raja Fahim Kayani, President of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK and the All Parties Kashmir Alliance UK and Altaf Ahmed Bhat, leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement met the GB chief minister. Talking to Kashmiri leaders, the GB CM said, "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Kashmiri brethren," adding, "What happened in Pahalgam was not a tragic mishap but a calculated scheme to isolate Pakistan on the world stage." He urged that the United Nations must uphold its resolutions on Kashmir, halt the demolition of civilian homes, and stop all human rights violations in IIOJ&K. The delegation termed the Pahalgam attack as a 'false flag operation' engineered to tarnish Pakistan's reputation and drape the Kashmiris' struggle for self-determination in a cloak of violence. They underlined that such orchestrated events only deepen the trauma endured by ordinary families living under persistent threat. "Our people have already borne the heaviest burdens," said Kayani. "Attempts to paint us as aggressors will never mute the cries of mothers mourning their children. This was no isolated incident. It is part of a broader strategy to distract from the daily injustices in IIOJ&K. We must unite our voices and demand accountability what has been doing with people in IIoJK," said Bhat.

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