As the nation marks five years since India revoked the special autonomy of occupied Kashmir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on New Delhi to move from “dispute denial to dispute resolution” for lasting peace in South Asia.
Pakistan is observing Youm-i-Istehsal (Exploitation Day) today to mark the fifth anniversary of India revoking Kashmir’s special autonomy and to show solidarity with Kashmiris.
On August 5, 2019, India’s Narendra Modi-led government stripped the Muslim-majority territory of its special status by repealing Article 370 of the constitution, splitting the former state into two territories directly ruled by New Delhi. The move allowed people from the rest of India to acquire property in India-occupied Kashmir (IoK) and settle there permanently. Kashmiris, as well as critics of India’s Hindu nationalist-led government, saw the move as an attempt to dilute the demographics of Muslim-majority Kashmir with Hindu settlers.
In response to the controversial move, the Government of Pakistan designated August 5 as Youm-i-Istehsal, starting in 2020. This day is now observed annually in Pakistan as a reaction to the status change.
In December last year, India’s Supreme Court unanimously upheld the 2019 order and ruled that IoK’s special status was a temporary provision.
PM Shehbaz said today that “India must move from dispute denial to dispute resolution” in the interest of lasting peace and security in South Asia, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. He vowed that Pakistan would continue to extend its strong moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.